1    He 

NATURE  STORIES 


A  BOOK  OF  THE  BEST  NATURE 
STORIES  THAT  MOTHERS  CAN 
TELL  THEIR  CHILDREN  W3& 


^'^S'TY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


000222266 


8 


J,      ;  •     /. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill 


http://www.archive.org/details/mothernaturestorOOphil 


FEEDING  THE   DUCKS. 


MOTHER 

Nature  Stories 


A    Book    of  the    Best    Nature 

Stories  That  Mother^  Can 

Tell  Their  Children 


With   Ninety-six  Illustrations 


PHILADELPHIA 
HENRY     ALTEMUS     COMPANY 


ALTEMUS' 

MOTHER  STORIES  SERIES 


MOTHER    STORIES 

A    Book    of    the    Best    Stories    that    Mothers    can    tell    their    Children 

MOTHER  NURSERY  RHYMES  AND  TALES 

A   Book  of    the    Best    Nursery  Rhymes  and  Tales    that   Mothers  can  tell  their  Children 

MOTHER  FAIRY  TALES 

A   Book  of   the   Best  Fairy  Tales  that  Mothers  can  tell  their  Children 

MOTHER   NATURE  STORIES 

A  Book  of  the  Best  Nature    Stories  that  Mothers  can  tell   their  Children 

MOTHER  STORIES   FROM   THE  OLD 
TESTAMENT 

A  Book  of  the  Best  Old  Testament  Stories  that  Mothers  can  tell  their  Children 

MOTHER  STORIES  FROM  THE  NEW 
TESTAMENT 

A   Book  of  the  Best  New  Testament  Stories  that  Mothers  can   tell  their  Children 

MOTHER   BEDTIME  STORIES 

A  Book  of  the  Best  Bedtime  Stories  that  Mothers  can  tell  their  Children 

MOTHER  ANIMAL  STORIES 

A   Book  of  the  Best  Animal  Stories  that   Mothers  can  tell  their  Children 

MOTHER   BIRD   STORIES 

A   Book   of  the  Best  Bird  Stories  that  Mothers   can  tell  their  Children 

MOTHER  SANTA  CLAUS  STORIES 

A  Book  of  the  Best  Santa  Claus  Stories  that  Mothers  can  tell  their  Children 


Profusely  illustrated   and   handsomely  bound  in  cloth,  with  ornamental 

tion    in    colors 

50     Cents    per    Volume 

Copyright  1908  by  Howard  E.  Altemcs 


CONTENTS 


Mrs.  Henny-Pen's  Strange  Son, 

The  Little  Provider, 

How  Tiddlety-Winks  was  Fed, 

A  Funny  Pony, 

A  Late  Spring, 

A  Cat's  Paradise, 

Charlie, 

Cricket, 

The  Ant's  Milch  Cows, 

The  Crow  Thief, 

Monkeys  in  India, 

Pussy's  Bath, 

The  Dog  Kindergarten, 

The  Pea-Hen, 

The  Chickadee-Dee, 

A  Letter  From  Italy, 

A  Clever  Pig, 

The  Ant  Eater, 

Birds  in  January, 

The  Angry  Bobolink, 

The  Orang-Utan,  . 

The  Obedient  Elephant, 

A  Chicken  With  a  Wooden  Leg, 

Old  Silver  Heels, 

An  Acrostic, 

Birds  in  February, 

The  Chimney  Swallow, 

Felix,  The  Alligator, 

Ted  and  His  Calf, 

All  About  a  Little  Humming-Bird, 


PAGiJ 

7 
9 
12 
14 
16 
17 
19 
21 
22 
24 
26 
28 
29 
31 
32 
33 
35 
36 
38 
39 
40 
41 
42 
45 
46 
47 
48 
51 
53 
55 


Contents 


Tino, 

Birds  of  Paradise, 

Mud-Turtle, 

A  Bad  Begin ning, 

The  Hoopee, 

Speckle's  Nest, 

The  Pitcher  Plant, 

Mary  and  the  Ducks, 

The  Walking  Leaves  of  Australia, 

The  Pelicans, 

How  the  Mason  Wasps  Work, 

Flowers  That  Love  The  Sun, 

Venus's  Fly-Trap, 

A  Crocus  Story, 

The  Black  Sheep, 

Do  You  Really  ? 

The  Tale  of  the  Moral  Little  Dogg; 

The  Bluebell  Fairies, 

The  Polar  Bear, 

The  Lantern-Fly, 

Night  Flowers, 

The  Working  Tools  of  Insects, 

The  Lady's  Slipper, 

The  Dragon-Fly, 

The  Skaters, 

Jack  Frost, 

Tipsy,  Topsy,  Tee, 

The  English  Cuckoo, 

The  Garden  Bird, 


PAGE 

57 


MOTHER  NATURE  STORIES 


MRS.   HENNY-PEN'S  STRANGE  SON. 


RS.  HENNY-PEN  stood  looking  at  her  one  "  chick  " 
with  a  puzzled  expression.  "I  declare,"  she  said 
to  herself,  "if  I  did  not  know  it,  I  would  not  be- 
lieve that  was  my  own  child.  His  features  are 
not  at  all  like  mine.  His  voice  is  very  peculiar. 
It  sounds,  —  well,  it  does  not  sound  in  the  least 
like  mine." 

Her  "  child,"  in  other  words  her  "  chick,"  was  scratching  in  the 
ground  near  by. 

Mrs.  Henny-pen  called  to  him,  u  cluck !  cluck !  cluck !  "  said  she.  Then 
she  cocked  her  head  on  one  side  listening  for  his  answer.  But  he 
seemed  to  pay  no  attention  to  her.  "  Cluck !  cluck !  cluck !  "  cried  Mrs. 
Henny-pen  again  in  a  very  decided  tone. 

The  little  downy  ball  lifted  up  its  head  and  answered  his  mother 
more  distinctly  than  he  had  ever  done  in  his  short  life. 

At  the  sound  of  his  voice  Mrs.  Henny-pen  stood  still,  and,  if  ever  a 
hen's  face  expressed  astonishment  as  well  as  horror,  her  face  expressed 
it  then.i 

The  sound  that  came  from  the  strange,  long  bill  of  her  one  child  was 

not  what  she  had  hoped  for.     The  downy 
little    ball    answered    her  own   "cluck! 
cluck!  cluck!"  with  a  "quack I  quack! 
|,jj       quack!" 


MBS.   HENNY- PEN'S  STRANGE  SON. 


Mrs.  Henny-pen  sat  down  to  think.  She  feared  that  some  one  had 
played  a  trick  on  her.  The  egg  she  had  sat  on  so  patiently,  and  from 
which  she  had  hatched  her  one  "  chick,"  must  have  been  a  duck's  egg. 
The  "  chick  "  she  loved  was  not  a  "  chick  "  at  all,  but  an  ugly  duckling. 

Mrs.  Henny-pen  sat  thinking  so  long  that  she  fell  asleep.  When  she 
awoke  there  was  no  sign  of  either  a  "  chick  "  or  a  duckling.  "He 
has  gone  to  the  pond,"  she  cried,  and  off  she  ran  as  fast  as  she  could, 
frightened  almost  out  of  her  wits.  Sure  enough,  there  was  her  baby 
swimming  away  as  easily  as  possible. 

Mrs.  Henny-pen  watched  him  at  first  with  an  anxious  face.  He 
seemed  so  much  at  home,  however,  that  she  became  calm.  "  I  declare," 
she  said  to  herself,  "  he  is  a  strong  little  fellow,  and  how  well  he 
paddles.  On  the  whole  I  am  proud  of  him."  The  duckling,  seeing  his 
mother  on  the  shore,  had  the  good  sense  to  return  to  her.  As  he  came 
out  of  the  water  she  said  :  "  Well  done,  my  son,  very  well  done  for  the 
first  time.  To-morrow  you  shall  try  again.  And  they  both  went  back 
to  the  farmyard  as  contented  as  possible.  "After  all,"  said  Mrs. 
Henny-pen  to  herself,  "  there  is  n't  another  hen  in  the  yard  with  a  son 
like  mine." 

• 

PATTY- SAYINGS. 

"Who  drew  you  your  dollies?"  I  asked  Pattykins, 
"They're  lovely  —  who  made  you  those  beautiful  twins?" 
"Oh,  Dora  drew  outlines  —  the  body  and  head  — 
And  I  made  the  inlines"  our  Pattykins  said. 

8 


THE  LITTLE  FKOYIDER. 

OU  know  what  is  meant,  do  you  not,  by  providing  for  a 
family?  Your  father  and  mother  provide  for  you. 
They  provide  for  you  by  giving  you  a  home  and  food 
to  eat,  and  clothes  to  wear,  and  books  to  read.  They 
also  provide  a  great  many  pleasures  for  you.  You 
surely  remember  the  happy  Christmas  and  the  birth- 
days when  your  mother  and  father  provided  for  you  so 

many  beautiful  gifts, 
and  pleasant  pastimes, 
and  games,  and  com- 
pany, and  everything 
which  could  make  you 
a  happy  little  boy  or 
girl. 

Now  the  little  harvest 
mouse,  or  as  it  is  some- 
times named  the  little 
field  mouse,  is  a  very 
good  provider.  She 
never  forgets  her  little 
children  but  gives  them 
plenty  to  eat  whenever 
she  can  find  it.  It  is 
true  that  she  does  not 
buy  clothes  for  them  as 
your  mother  does  for 
you,  because  Nature  has 
already  given  all  little 
mice  a  warm,  fur  coat, 
so  that  they  do  not  need 
any  more  clothing.  But 
the  little  mother  knows 
that  the  dear  little 
things  must  have  some- 
thing   to    eat,    so    she 


TME  LITTLE   PROVIDER. 


looks  about  to  get  food  for  them.  Look  at  the  picture  ?  There  she 
is  with  her  family  in  a  wheat-field.  She  is  telling  them  where  to 
go  and  how  to  climb  so  as  to  get  some  good,  rich  wheat  for  din- 
ner, and,  no  doubt,  for  breakfast  and  supper  too. 

10 


THE  LITTLE  PROVIDER. 

Do  you  wonder  how  they  are  able  to  climb  such  a  slender  stem  as 
a  wheat  straw  ?  It  is  because  the  mouse  is  so  small  when  it  is  full- 
grown,  that  it  only  weighs  the  sixth  part  of  an  ounce.  What  a  tiny 
creature !  And  if  that  is  the  size  of  the  mother,  how  very  small 
must  the  little  children  be !  So  you  see  a  wheat  straw  does  not 
seem  very  slender  to  them.  It  holds  them  very  securely  while  they 
are  nibbling  the  grain,  and  they  are  so  small  that  the  farmer  very 
often  does  not  see  them  when  he  walks  or  rides  over  his  field. 

This  good  mother  not  only  provides  food  for  her  little  ones,  but  a 
very  fine  home.  Her  house  is  a  ball,  which  she  hangs  upon  wheat 
straws  or  grass  stems,  and  very  often  to  a  thistle  head.  This  little 
house  is  woven  of  slender  grasses,  and  is  hollow  inside,  of  course, 
so  as  to  give  room  to  the  family.  You  could  not  find  the  door  to 
this  little  house.  There  is  no  door-bell  or  knocker,  for  they  do  not 
wish  visitors.  But  the  mother  knows  where  the  door  is,  and  she 
slips  in  and  gives  food  to  all  her  little  children.  Besides  grain  she 
feeds  them  with  insects,  so  the  little  ones  have  meat  as  well  as  bread. 
Do  you  not  think  this  mother  a  good  provider  ? 

Look  at  her  house.  You  could  not  hang  a  ball  on  a  thistle  head 
any  better,  yourself,  than  this  tiny  creature  has  done  for  the  comfort 
of  her  family. 


11 


HOW   TIDDLETY-WINKS    WAS    FED 


A  humming-birdie's  tongue  is  like  a  fine  thread.  At  first  Mrs. 
S.  would  take  the  little  fellow,  on  her  finger,  dip  the  straw  in  the 
syrup,  which  was  made  of  sugar  and  water,  and  hold  the  straw  close 
to  birdie's  beak.'  Tiddlety-winks  would  stick  out  this  long,  thread- 
like tongue  and  lick  the  straw. 

After  he  had  been  with  them  some  days,  Mrs.  S.  would  prepare  a 
little  bottle  of  syrup  each  morning  and  lay  it  on  the  table.    Soon 

12 


BOW  T1DDLETY-WINKS  WAS  FED. 

the  wee  humming-bird  learned  this  was  his,  and  if  he  were  hungry 
before  any  one  thought  to  feed  him,  he  would  hop  down  and  peck  at 
the  bottle  till  some  one  fed  him ;  which  was  done  by  merely  uncork- 
ing the  bottle  and  holding  it  so  he  could  stick  his  little  bill  in  and 
lap  the  syrup  with  his  tongue. 

By  and  by,  when  Tiddlety-winks  had  grown  quite  big  for  a  hum- 
ming-bird, a  little  sugar  was  left  out  for  him  to  eat  when  he  wished, 
and  sometimes  he  was  held  up  to  the  window  to  catch  the  little 
gnats. 


13 


A    FUNNY    PONY. 


He  was  such 
a  strange  little 
fellow,  and  he 
lived  in  a 
strange  place, 
J  — away  up  in 
the    White 

Mountains,  at  the  Tip-Top  House.  The  ladies  used  to  ride  him,  and 
he  grew  tired  of  it.  When  he  saw  any  one  coming  to  catch  him,  he 
went  limping  off  as  if  he  were  so  lame  he  could  hardly  walk. 

One  day  a  new  man  was  sent  to  catch  him,  who  did  not  know  hifl 
tricks. 


14 


A    FUNNY   PONT. 

u  I  did  not  catch  the  pony,"  he  said,  when  he  came  back,  a  because 
he  is  so  lame  no  one  could  ride  him."     Then  how  the  men  laughed ! 

One  day  when  the  men  opened  the  stables,  the  pony  was  gone,  and 
they  thought  some  one  had  stolen  him. 

But  at  last  they  heard  him  chewing,  and  after  they  had  hunted  a 
long  time,  they  found  him  over  in  behind  his  manger.  He  jumped 
over  in  there,  and  when  he  couldn't  get  out  again,  -he  just  lay  there 
and  reached  up  and  ate  the  hay  that  fell  over  so  he  could  get  at  it. 

They  had  to  get  hammers  and  axes  and  pry  off  the  boards  before 
they  could  get  him  out. 


15 


LATE    SPRING. 

A-lack-a-day,  good  neighbor, 
The  winter  stretches  long  J 
can  you  have  the  courage 
raise  so  swfeet  a  song  ? 
My  voice  is  fairly  ruined 

By  this  cold  that's  in  my  head, 
And  food's  so  scarce — why,  really, 
I  can't  find  a  crumb  of  bread. 


Oh  !  come  now,  brother  sparrow, 

What's  the  use  of  feeling  blue, 
When  winter's  sturdy  backbone 

Is  almost  broke  in  two  ? 
Our  coldest  snap  is  over  — 

The  spring  will  soon  be  here, 
With  gentle  showers,  and  dainty  flowers, 

With  plenty  and  good  cheer! 


16 


A  CAT'S  PAKADISE. 

•  VA'S  dearest  pet  is  a  white  kitten.  Last  summer  the 
little  girl  took  Snowball  into  the  country  ;  for  a  vaca- 
tion without  her  would  not  be  worth  having. 

On  the  train,  seeing  a  child  who  sat  opposite  playing 
with  a  doll,  Eva  brought  out  Snowball  from  her  cush- 
ioned basket,  with  a  blue  ribbon   around  her  neck,  and 
had  her  do  some  tricks.     The  lively  creature  was  admired  by  every- 
body ;  even  the  other  little  mistress  would  have  liked  to  swap  her 
doll  for  the  kitten. 

Hardly  three  minutes  after  Eva  and  her  mother  arrived  at  the 
farm-house,  which  was  to  be  their  summer  home,  the  former  ran  to 
the  garden  with  her  pet  by  her  side.  An  astonishing  thing  hap- 
pened then. 

Eva  had  truly  supposed  she  knew  kitty's  voice  in  all  its  tones, 
whether  a  purr,  a  gentle  mew  for  milk,  or — if  I  must  expose  the 
kitten's  faulty  temper — a  squall  from  the  window-sill,  after  dark, 
when  a  neighbor  cat  crept  into  the  yard.  But  now  Snowball  set  up 
a  queer  noise  never  heard  from  her  pink  mouth  before. 

Her  pretty  fur  was  all  ruffled  up,  worse  than  if  she  had  met  the 
most  hateful  dog  in  town.  Her  tail,  with  all  its  hairs  standing  out, 
was  as  large  as  Eva's  arm.  Yet  there  was  nothing  to  be  seen  that 
could  excite  her.  Suddenly  Snowball  gave  a  bound  into  a  bed  of 
something  green,  where  she  tumbled  about,  crooning  in  a  way  that 
sounded  fearful  to  her  young  mistress. 

A  pair  of  small  boots  were  heard  running  upstairs. 
"  O  mamma,  come  !"  cried  Eva  ;  "  come  quick,  please.     Something 
is  the  matter  with  Snowball.     I'm  afraid  she  caught  the  hyderfogy 
from  that  poor  dog  the  cars  ran  over,  you  'member.     When  I  call 
her  she  doesn't  hear  me  at  all." 

»— Mother  Nature  Storiet  \  7 


A    CATS    PARADISE. 

When  Eva  returned  to  the  spot  with  her  mother,  she  wondered 
what  it  was  that  scented  all  the  air ;  but  a  glimpse  of  Snowball  caused 
her  to  forget  all  besides.  One  minute  the  kitten  was  rolling  over, 
the  next  she  was  standing  on  her  head.  Indeed,  a  more  crazy  acting 
animal  can  scarcely  be  imagined. 

"It's  the  catnip — don't  you  smell  it?"  said  the  farmer,  smiling, 
as  he  watched  the  kitten's  antics  over  the  garden  fence.  "  It  jus' 
sets  'em  on  a  spree ;  cats  and  catnip  they  agree  —  I  didn't  mean  to 
make  a  rhyme.  Let  the  creetur  enjoy  herself.  There's  a  bigger  bed 
of  the  mint  back  o'  the  barn.  You  can  gather  some  and  carry  home, 
and  any  time  your  cat  is  ailin',  you  steep  a  little  of  the  dried  arb  and 
give  it  in  her  milk,  and  see  how  brisk  she'll  be." 

"  Oh ! "  said  Eva,  with  a  sigh  of  relief,  "  I'm  so  glad  she  hasn't 
real  hyderfogy.  Dear,  sweet  Snowball,  you  shall  just  live  in 
catamint." 


ia 


*-top*l&t>tg 


CHARLIE. 


He  was  a  pretty  bay  horse.  He  would  go  so  fast  and  hold  his 
head  up  so  proudly  when  he  had  on  the  new  harness ;  but  when  they 
put  on  the  old  he  hung  his  head  and  went  very  slowly. 

When  grandpa  rode  him  he  dropped  his  head  and  went  along 
slowly,  and  the  boys  said  he  was  studying  hia  sermon,  for  grandpa 
was  a  minister. 

When  the  baby  was  put  on  his  back  he  stepped  so  carefully  the 
boys  used  to  say  he  thought  Birdie  was  a  basket  of  eggs. 

But  when  Tom  jumped  on  his  back  off  went  Charlie  with  a  bound 
and  flirt  of  his  tail,  pretending  to  bite  at  Rover,  who  jumped  and 
barked  about  as  happy  as  Tom  or  Charlie. 

When  they  first  bought  him  he  would  bite  at  Tom's  sister  Sarah; 
but  she  used  to  bring  him  a  lump  of  sugar,  or  an  ear  of  corn,  and  he 
got  so  friendly  he  would  call  for  her  every  time  he  saw  her. 

One  night  it  was  very  cold  and  they  strapped  the  blanket  on  him 

in  the  stable,  and  someway  it  slipped  down  over  his  heels. 

How  frightened  he  was  and  how  he  did  kick. 

19 


CHARLIE. 

He  was  all  of  a  tremble  when  Tom  opened  the  door. 

When  they  turned  him  loose  in  the  barn-yard  he  pulled  the  pin  out 
of  the  door,  and  went  in  and  helped  himself  to  oats,  and  when  they 
put  a  button  on  the  door  he  learned  to  turn  that  with  his  teeth. 

One  day  they  all  went  off  to  live  somewhere  else,  and  sold  Charlie. 
Ever  so  long  after,  when  Tom  was  going  by  where  there  was  a  lot  of 
horses,  one  of  them  whinnied  and  tried  to  get  away  from  his  hitching- 
post  and  go  over  to  him. 

It  was  Charlie.  And  Tom  went  right  over  and  put  both  arms 
around  his  neck  and  kissed  him  ;  and  he  didn't  care  if  the  people  did 
eee  him  do  it. 


THE  SPILL. 


THIS  Jack  and  Jill  came  down  the  hill, 
With  apple  baskets  laden  ; 
Jack  met  with  such  a  dreadful  si 
It  quite  upset  the  maiden ! 


Though  Jack  slid  quickly  down  the  hill, 

The  apples  rolled  the  faster ; 
Jack  bruised  himself,  while  frightened  Jill 

Cried,  *  Oh,  what  a  disaster  !* 


20 


fCKET 

he  Little  Black  Fiddfen 


u£  iimgsr&ss  Ivere,B&by  Belle, 
L(]gJ<with yojjaKro  bright  eyes 

and  tell 

■ 

the.  boy  who 
fiddles  50  well? 
Creak!  craMcrefckl  cre&ki" 
is  with  an  endless  squeakl 

e^fuftw  boy,  50  little  and  black, 

ith ;;iix  good  limfo  to  twrof  K\5  pzvck^ 
His  -^Wpkneerthrust  up  over 

IP  his  bfcck, 

^  hi5  eyes— &  kindred  or  two, 

It'i  52xid — 

isgefth&n  &!  the  rex  of  his  Keid ! 


OES  it  not  seem  queer  that  such 

tiny  insects  as  ants  should  keep 

cows,    whole    droves    of   them. 

They  are  called  "  aphides,"  and 

do  not  give  real  milk,  but  a  sweet  fluid, 

that  with   their  suckers   they  draw   from 

plants  and  trees.     These  odd  insects  make 

honey  in  their  bodies  like  bees ;  they  do 

not  stow  it  away  in  a  hive,  but  let  it  drop 

from  two  tubes  just  above  the  abdomen ; 

some  ants  are  always  on   hand   to  lap  it 

up  i  sometimes  they  feel  hungry  for  more, 


22 


THE   ANTS    MILCH    COWS. 

so  they  smooth  the  cows  first  on  one  side  then  on  the  other,  till 
the  coveted  juice  drops  on  the  leaf. 

The  yellow  ants  collect  large  herds  of  aphides  that  feed  on  the 
roots  of  grass  and  other  plants,  carry  them  down  to  their  under- 
ground chambers  and  watch  them  carefully  so  that  they  may  not 
escape.  They  are  well  tended  and  eat  the  sap  from  the  roots  that 
grow  through  the  ant  dwellings. 

Some  ants  build  mud  walls  around  their  cows  to  keep  their  neigh- 
bors from  stealing  them  ;  others  make  a  covered  gallery  between 
their  nests  and  the  cow  pastures. 

In  winter  the  ants  would  often  suffer  with  hunger  if  they  did  not 
have  a  herd  of  cows  on  hand.  "Very  carefully  they  guard  the  eggs 
of  the  aphides,  so  that  a  large  quantity  of  calves,  as  you  might  call 
them,  will  hatch  out  to  take  the  place  of  the  cows  that  die. 

In  the  summer,  when  the  cows  are  feeding  some  distance  from  the 
ant  homes,  the  honey  must  be  taken  back  to  the  nest.  There  are  no 
milk  buckets  in  this  community,  so  each  ant  has  to  be  its  own  pail ; 
swallowing  as  much  of  the  fluid  as  possible,  they  hurry  home,  where 
they  bring  it  up  again  into  their  mouths.  The  nurse  ants  give  it  to 
the  babies,  and  the  workers  take  it  to  the  queens  and  soldiers. 

Ants  always  seem  to  know  their  own  cows  and  will  fight  for  days 
to  keep  those  who  have  none  from  carrying  their  property  away. 


23 


THE  CROW  THIEF. 

Chaelet  Martin  had  a  pet  crow,  which  he  called  Jet,  because  he 
was  so  black. 

Jet  was  very  fond  of  Charley,  and  would  follow  him  every  chance 
he  had. 

Often  he  would  light  on  Charley's  shoulder  and  go  to  school  with 
him. 

Sometimes,  when  Charley  did  not  want  Jet  to  go  with  him,  he 
shut  him  up.  Jet  didn't  like  to  be  shut  up  and  would  make  an  awful 
cry. 

The  crow  had  one  very  bad  trick,  —  he  would  steal,  and  hide  the 
things  in  the  strangest  places.  This  gave  Charley,  his  mother,  and 
sister,  a  great  deal  of  trouble  hunting  for  them. 

One  day  Charley's  grandma  came  to  visit  his  mother.  After  din- 
ner she  thought  she  would  have  a  nap,  so  she  took  off  her  cap  and 
laid  it  upon  the  table. 

Jet  had  perched  himself  in  an  open  window,  and  was  watching 
grandma's  cap  very  closely.  He  had  never  seen  one  before,  and  new 
things  had  a  great  attraction  for  him.  Jet  watched  till  he  was  alone, 
and  then  he  flew  to  the  table,  caught  the  cap  by  one  of  the  strings, 

24 


THE     CROW    THIET. 


and     flew    out     of    the     window 

with  it. 

"When  grandma  awoke,  her 
cap  was  not  to  be  found  anywhere. 
Charley  took  Jet  into  a  corner,  and 
tried  to  make  him  understand  that 
they  knew  he  had  taken  it.  Unless 
he  would  show  him  where  he  had  hidden 
it  he  would  have  to  go  without  his 
supper. 

But  Jet  just  winked  and  blinked  his 
eyes,  and  grandma  had  to  go  home  with- 
out her  cap. 

One  day  Charley  and  his  little  sis- 
ter went  to  the  orchard  for  apples. 
Charley  climbed  the  tree  and  shook 
the  branches,  while  his  sister  held 
her  apron  to  catch  the  apples  as  they 
fell.  Something  white  came  floating 
down  into  her  lap. 
What  do  you  think  it  was?      Grandma's  cap!      Jet  had  hung 

it  on  the  apple-tree. 

25 


MONKEYS  IN  INDIA. 

NCE  upon  a  time,  when  I  was  in  India,  I  was  staying 
at  a  place  called  Seringham.  It  was  an  island  sur- 
rounded by  two  rivers, — one  the  Coleroon,  the  other 
the  Cavery. 

In  this  dry  season  we  could  walk  very  nearly  across 
the  rivers,  excepting  just  where  the  stream  ran,  and  there  we  had 
to  cross  over  in  round  basket  boats  covered  with  the  skin  of  some 
animal. 

The  first  night  the  children  and  I  were  very  tired,  and  soon  went 
to  bed.  I  woke  up  quickly,  feeling  that  something  was  in  the  room. 
Then  I  heard  a  sound  as  of  some  one  drinking  water.  I  sat  up  in 
bed,  and  what  do  you  think  I  saw  ?  A  large  monkey  helping  him- 
self out  of  the  water-jug. 

I  threw  one  slipper,  then  the  other,  at  him.  He  quietly  picked 
them  up  and  walked  away  with  them.  I  called  the  ayah  to  run  after 
the  monkey,  but  she  was  too  frightened.  The  next  morning  she 
came  to  me,  saying,  "  Oh !  please,  ma'am,  some  thief  has  been  to 
my  box,  and  taken  all  my  jaggery." 

Jaggery,  you  must  know,  is  the  sugar  the  natives  eat;  made  from 
the  juice  of  the  palmyra  trees,  and  is  a  horrid  brown  mess  to 
look  at. 

I  went  to  look  at  the  place  where  trie  ayah  kept  it,  and  found  the 
cord  had  been  untied  from  the  box,  and  the  jaggery  taken  away. 

I  gave  the  ayah  a  little  money  and  told  her  to  buy  some  more,  and 
tie  the  box  up  well. 

26 


MONKEYS    IN    INDIA 

The  next  morning  she  found  the  box  open  and  the  jaggery  gone 
again.  So  we  watched  and  saw  a  monkey  come,  untie  the  cord,  and 
help  himself.  The  next  morning,  going  into  my  bedroom,  I  found 
another  monkey  on  my  dressing-table  with  the  violet  powder  all 
spilled  out  of  the  box.  He  was  powdering  his  own  baby  monkey 
with  the  powder-puff. 

The  monkeys  were  so  impudent  we  did  not  know  what  to  do  with 
them.  I  tried  to  poison  some  of  them,  by  spreading  the  poison  on 
some  bread  and  butter ;  but  the  monkeys  were  so  cunning  that  they 
rubbed  the  poison  off  against  the  trunk  of  the  trees,  and  then  ate 
up  the  bread.  So  that  was  no  good.  At  last  a  friend  of  ours  shot  a 
few  of  these  troublesome  and  uu welcome  visitors;  and  after  that  they 
left  us  in  peace  for  a  little  while. 


§W 


m 


27 


PUSSY'S  BATH. 

NE  morning  Tommy  was  at  play 
Beside  the  meadow  pond, 
Sailing  his  boats  along  its  edge, 
And  up  the  brook  beyond; 


When  good  old  puss  came  strolling  down 
The  little  winding  path, 
And  seeing  her  he  called,  for  sport, 
"  Come  here  and  take  a  bath ! " 

She  came  to  him  without  a  thought 

That  his  designs  were  base — 
When  Tommy  held  her  fast,  and  said, 

"  Now  I  will  wash  your  face."    - 

It  seemed  an  easy  thing  to  do — 

He  tried  till,  sad  to  tell, 
They  both  slipped  off  the  grassy  bank, 

And  in  the  water  fell. 

From  out  the  muddy  bath, 

Of  which  they  had  an  equal  share, 

They  scrambled  quick,  and  hurried  home 
A  sorry  looking  pair. 
28 


PUSSY'S  BATH. 

Old  pussy  climbed  the  garden  wall, 

And,  angry  at  such  fun, 
Sat  there  and  licked  her  sodden  fur, 

And  dried  it  in  the  sun. 

While  Tommy,  stripped  and  dressed  anew 

In  shabby  kilt  and  hat, 
Thought  he  would  never  try  again 

That  trick  upon  a  cat. 


*# 


THE    DOG    KINDERGARTEN. 


Midget  and  Fidget,  and  Dumpy  and  Dun, 
Were  four  little  four-legged  budgets  of  fun ; 
They  had  a  red  house  at  the  foot  of  the  lawn 
Where  they  slept  together  from  dark  to  dawn  \ 
From  dawn  to  dark  they  romped  and  ran, 
Wrestled  and  tumbled  till  school  began ; 

39 


THE     DOG    KINDERGARTEN. 


Then  Floss,  their  mother,  set  all  in  a  row, 

To  teach  them  the  things  that  other  dogs  know, 

And  cuffed  their  ears  if  they  spoke  too  low ! 

"  First  lesson  in  Bark  !     Attend  now,  hark : 

Bow-wow !  so,  speak  it  up  loud  as  I !  " 

"Yip,  yap,  yap,  yip,  boog-boo,  ki-yi!" 

"Yip-yip  !  "  said  Midget ;  "  Yap-yap  !  "  said  Fidget; 

" Boog-boo  !  "  said  Dumpy ;  "Ki-yi !  "  said  Dun. 

To  the  pupils  this  was  lively  fun ; 

And  the  second  lesson  was  just  begun 

When  they  saw  a  pussy-cat  out  by  the  well ; 

Heels  over  head  they  went,  pell-mell, 

And  the  school  broke  up  with  a  four-pup  yell ! 

"  There  are  some  things,"  Mother  Flossie  thought, 
"  That  little  dogs  know  without  being  taught !  " 
But  pussy  was  rather  too  spry  to  be  caught. 


30 


THE  PEA-HE^. 


Toukg  pea-chicks  are  very  hard  to  bring  tip.  They  are  delicate, 
and  their  mother,  being  of  a  roving  disposition,  leads  them  long 
tramps  over  hill  and  dale,  and  wears  them  out. 

One  day  we  took  the  pea- 
hen's eggs  away,  and  set  a 
common  hen  upon  them,  and 
we  gave  her  some  hen's  eggs. 
She  seemed  contented,  and  sat 
day  after  day,  till  the  chickens 
began  to  break  the  shell.  But 
no  sooner  had  they  got  upon 
their  little  Isgs  than  she  must 


have  found  that  something  was 
wrong,  and  that  they  were  not  pea- 
chicks.  She  straightway  turned  her 
back  upon  them,  as  much  as  to  say, 
"  You  can't  deceive  me  ;  barn-yard 
chickens  are  not  pea-chicks  ;"  and  she  walked  off, 

and  refused  to  feed  or  care  for  them. 

31 


THE     CHICKADEE-DEE. 

Little  darling  of  the  snow, 
Careless  how  the  winds  may  blow* 
Happy  as  a  bird  can  be, 
Singing,  oh,  so  cheerily, 
Chickadee-dee !  Chickadee-dee  I 

When  the  skies  are  cold  and  gray, 
When  he  trills  his  happiest  lay, 
Through  the  clouds  he  seems  to  see 
Hidden  things  to  you  and  me. 
Chickadee-dee !  chickadee-dee ! 

Very  likely  little  birds 

Have  their  thoughts  too  deep  for  woirJs. 

But  we  know,  and  all  agree, 

That  the  world  would  dreary  be 

Without  birds,  dear  chickadee  I 


32 


A  LETTER  FROM  ITALY. 

Dear  Frank: 

Do  you  remember  the  crows  that  used  to  settle 
dowu  on  the  corn-field  last  spring  at  grandpa's,  and  how  we  used 
to  watch  them  from  our  window  in  the  morning?  Well,  wouldn't 
you  be  surprised  if  some  day  when  you  looked  out,  instead  of  crows 


you  saw  great  long-legged  birds  four  feet  high?  That  is  what  I 
saw  this  morning.  They  are  called  cranes,  and  they  are  very  pretty- 
all  gray,  with  black  breasts  and  necks.  They  live  a  long  way  from 
here,  up  in  the  north  part  of  Europe,  but  in  winter  they  fly  south, 
just  as  the  robbins  do  at  home.  In  the  autumn  they  come  here  in 
great  flocks,  and  after  they  have  rested  for  awhile  they  take  their 
loug  flight  across  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  and  they  don't  come  back 
until  spring.     They  have  to  cross  the  sea  to  go  any  further  south 


8 — Mother  Nature  Stories 


33 


A   LETTER  FROM  ITALY. 

than  this,  you  know.  But  here  comes  the  funniest  part  of  alL 
There  are  lots  of  other  birds  who  go  south  beside  the  cranes,  and 
some  of  them  are  too  little  for  such  a  long  flight ;  they  would  get 
tired  half  way  across  and  would  drop  into  the  water  and  drown. 
How  do  you  think  they  manage  ?  Why,  they  just  get  on  the 
crane's  backs.  Isn't  that  funny  ?  And  the  cranes  don't  mind  it 
one  bit.  I  saw  a  lot  go  off  yesterday,  and  they  made  me  think  of  a 
lot  of  people  going  on  a  picnic,  or  else  like  the  crowd  getting  on 
board  the  big  steamer  we  sailed  from  New  York  in.  They  crowded 
on  as  close  as  they  could,  so  close  that  some  of  them  toppled  off. 
But  they  did  not  seem  to  mind;  just  took  another  crane.  Some  get 
left  behind,  and  these  sit  around  in  the  hedges  until  the  next  flock 
of  cranes  start  south.  They  will  come  back  the  same  way  in  the 
Spring.     Give  my  love  to  Aunt  Fanny  and  Uncle  Tom. 

Your  affectionate  cousin, 

Arthur. 


A  CLEVER  PIG 

This  clever  pig,  becoming  tired  of  dwelling  in  a  sty, 
Resolved  to  build  himself  a  house  upon  a  mountain  high ; 
He  cut  down  trees,  then  sawed  them  up,  and  nailed  them 

fast  together. 
Now  in  his  hut  he  lives  content,  regardless  of  the  weather. 


<g>2> 


36 


THE  AKT-EATER. 

"What  do  you  think  of  this  very  queer  looking  creature?  You 
Burely  do  not  think  him  very  handsome,  and  perhaps  your  little 
brain  is  very  much  puzzled  in  trying  to  guess  what  he  is  and  what 
he  is  made  for.  He  has  scales  like  a  fish,  but  he  is  not  a  fish.  Fish 
do  not  have  feet,  and  I  do  not  think  you  ever  saw  a  fish  up  a  tree, 
did  you  ? 

The  name  of  this  queer  animal  is  the  scaly  ant-eater,  and  his 
home  is  in  India.  If  you  will  look  at  your  map  you  will  see  what  a 
great  distance  he  is  from  you,  so  you  need  not  be  afraid  of  him. 
He  is  about  five  feet  long  and  has  a  long  tail  which  helps  him  to 
hold  on  to  the  limb  of  a  tree.     The  sight  of  him  might  frighten  you, 


THE    ANT-EATER. 

but  he  is  a  gentle  creature,  and  is  even  shy.  "When  he  thinks  some 
danger  is  nigh,  he  rolls  himself  into  a  ball,  his  tail  folded  up  and  his 
head  in  the  centre.  So  you  see  you  need  not  be  afraid  ;  he  will  not 
bite  you,  besides  he  has  no  teeth,  for  the  food  he  eats  does  not  need 
to  be  chewed. 

.Now  you  are  wondering  what  his  food  is.  "Well,  he  lives  upon 
ants,  and  that  is  why  he  is  called  the  ant-eater. 

His  claws  are  long  and  his  nails  are  hooked,  so  he  is  able  to 
burrow  into  the  ant-hills.  There  is  a  very  sticky  substance  on  his 
tongue  and  when  the  poor  little  ants  are  caught  there,  they  can- 
not run  away.  They  stick  like  a  fly  in  molasses,  and  he  swallows 
them.    7 

There  are  other  ant-eaters  in  South  America,  but  they  do  not 
have  scales  on  their  backs.  They  are  covered  with  hair,  and  are 
larger  than  this  creature.  He  requires  a  great  many  ants  for  one 
meal,  and  he  destroys  a  whole  nest  of  ant-hills  in  a  very  short  time. 
Ants  do  not  seem  to  us  to  be  very  good  food,  and  there  is  a  very 
funny  story  told  of  an  African  savage  who  asked  a  white  man  if 
he  had  ever  eaten  anything  as  nice  as  ants.  So  you  see  he  was 
an  ant-eater  too,  although  he  did  not  have  scales  and  go  upon  four 
feet. 

The  fore  feet  of  this  animal  are  longer  than  his  hind  feet,  and  his 
gait  is  very  clumsy.    How  do  you  like  his  picture  ? 


BIRDS   IN  JANUARY. 

We  think  of  birds  as  belonging,  like 
flowers,  especially  to  spring  and  summer, 
but  when  it  is  cold  we  sometimes  have 
visits  from  the  birds  of  the  Arctic  regions. 
Perhaps  to  them  a  winter  in  the  northern 
parts  of  our  country  is  as  pleasant  a 
change  as  Cuba  is  to  us.  The  snow-bunt- 
ing is  one  of  these  visitors,  and  I  have  seen  a  number  of  these 
charming  little  fellows  flying  and  darting  about  in  a  snow-storm  as 
if  they  enjoyed  it.  They  are  far-away  cousins  of  the  canary,  and 
are  in  shape  very  like  that  bird.  But  they  are  not  yellow.  In  win- 
ter they  are  snow-white  save  for  brownish  pink  markings  on  the 
wings  and  head,  and  in  summer  they  are  gray. 

More  rarely  flocks  of  the  red-headed  cross-bill  come.  Very  odd- 
looking  birds  are  they,  because,  as  their  name  indicates,  their  bills 
cross  and  make  just  the  right  sort  of  scissors  to  pick  out  fir  seeds, 
which  they  are  very  fond  of. 


38 


THE  ANGRY   BOBOLINK. 


Pretty  little  bobolink 

In  your  satin  coat, 
Trimmed  with  white  across  the  neck 

Black  about  the  throat, 
Why  so  angry  do  you  seem  ? 

Why  so  fierce  your  mien  ? 
That  you're  scolding  somebody 

Plainly  can  be  seen. 

*  Don't  you  know,"  says  bobolink, 

As  he  shakes  his  head, 
"  That  my  nest  is  hidden  in 

This  soft  grassy  bed  ? 
Somebody  has  come  too  near, 

And  I  wish  to  say 
There  is  no  admittance  here 

Pass  the  other  way. 

"If  my  gentle  little  wife 

Sits  so  calm  above, 
'Tis  because  she  knows  I'll  g 

This  dear  nest  we  love." 
Fear  not,  pretty  bobolink, 

Sing  your  joyous  song, 
Never  will  I  trouble  you, 

Sing,  the  whole  day  long. 


3? 


THE   OKAITO-UTAX 

The  orang-utan  is  called  the  Wild  Man  of  the  "Woods,  because  he 
resembles  a  man  more  than  any  other  animal.  He  belongs  to  the 
ape  family.  He  lives  in  Borneo  and  Sumatra.  Now  take  your  map 
and  find  those  countries,  so  you  will  know  the  home  of  the  orang- 
utan. He  is  fond  of  eating  fruit  and  fresh  green  leaves  and  buds, 
and  a  cocoanut  he  esteems  a  great  delicacy.  He  has  strong  teeth 
with  which  he  bites  off  the  outside  covering  of  the  cocoanut,  then 
he  pushes  his  claws  or 
soft  spots  at  the  end 
the  milk.  Then  he 
a  tree  or  some  hard 
the  shell,  and  in  this 
several  cocoanuts  at 
are  very  long  and 
to  climb  high  trees 
leaves.  Few  other 
enough  to  fight  him,  so 
makes  his  bed  of  large 
rises  from  it  when  the 


fingers  through  the 
of  the  nut  and  drinks 
strikes  the  nut  against 
substance  and  breaks 
way  he  can  devour 
one  meal.  His  arms 
strong  and  help  him 
and  gather  twigs  and 
animals  are  strong 
he  is  very  fearless.  He 
leaves  and  ferns,  and 
sun  has  dried  the  dew. 


He  can  be  quite  sly,  and  is  sometimes  an  artful  thief.  It  hap- 
pened one  time  that  a  captain  of  a  vessel  took  one  of  these  animals 
on  board,  and  pretty  soon  he  was  caught  stealing  sugar  from  the 
table  and  candy  out  of  the  sailors'  pockets.  He  was  very  quiet  at 
meals  and  when  he  had  emptied  his  bowl  or  glass,  would  reach  it 
out  to  be  filled  again.  He  was  quite  well-behaved  for  a  creature 
who  had  never  sat  at  table  before,  and  I  think  you  will  agree  that 
there  are  some  boys  and  girls  who  might  learn  table  manners  from 
him. 

40 


longed     to 
very  brave 
would  obey 
cept  his  ma- 
One      time 
was  raging,  the 
"  Stand,  my  brave 


In  some  countries  in  Asia 
an  elephant  is  made  to  carry 
the  flacr  in  battles.     This  is 

o 

because    the    elephant   is   so 
tall,    and    the    soldiers    can 
easily   see    the   flag    flying 
from  his  back. 

One    of     these     ele- 
phants,    which     be- 
the  Poona  host,  was 
and  very  kind,  but  he 
the  order  of  no  one  ex- 
hout,  or    driver, 
while  a  very  fierce  fight 
driver  called  out  to  him 
beast,    stand ! "     A    moment 
and   fell 


later  the  mahout  received  a   fatal   wound,    and   fell   to   the 

ground,  where  he  lay  beneath  a  pile  of  wounded  and  slain. 

The  obedient  animal  would  not  move,  though  the  battle  raged 
wildly  around  him.  The  Poona  soldiers,  who  feared  they  were  being 
overcome,  were  cheered  on  by  the  sight  of  the  flag  still  floating  from 
his  back. 

He  never  stirred  a  foot,  and  all  through  the  hot  fight,  the  noise,  the 
smoke,  the  confusion,  listened  patiently  for  the  voice  of  his  master. 


41 


A   CHICKEN  WITH  A  WOODEN  LEG. 

Stella  and  Laura  had  some  little  white  bantams,  which 
were  very  tame,  and  of  which  they  were  very  fond.  There  were 
two  of  them,  —  a  rooster  and  a  hen.  Neither  was  larger  than 
good-sized   pigeons. 


42 


A     CHICKED    WITH    A     WOODEN    LEO. 

The  rooster  put  on  far  more  airs,  and  held  his  head  higher, 
than  the  great  Cochin-China  in  the  barn-yard,  and  he  always 
managed  to  be  ahead  of  the  latter  in  getting  off  the  first  crow 
in  the  morning.  In  the  winter  the  children  were  fond  of  coast- 
ing, and  they  seldom  thought  of  starting  out  without  "  Tip  "  and 
"  Ty,''  as  they  had  curiously  named  their  feathered  friends. 

These   chickens   really   seemed   to   like   to  ride.     The  little  girls 


would   get  on   the   big  si  3d,   each 

holding     her     pet,    and     off    they 

would  start.     Sometimes   the   sled 

would  be  sent  down,  carrying  the  chickens 

alone.      "Tip"    would    t  ^ne»aiiy   keep   his  balance,   but   his    mate 

always   became   frighten"-      tnd  jumped   off    when   about   half-way 

down. 

The   children  kept  these   chickens   for  over   three   years.      One 
night  a  weasel  got  into  the  hen-house  and  killed  them. 

Some   time   after   this,   Stella   found   a   little    chicken    with    its 

leg  badly  broken.     She  carried  it  to  Adam,  the  gardener.      The  leg 

was   so   badly    crushed   that   it  could   never   be   of    any    use,   and 

Adam  cut  it  off.     Then  he  carefully  bound  up  the  stump.     After 

a  while  it  healed,  and  he  made  as  well  as  he  could  a  wooden  leg, 

43 


A    CHICKEN    WITS   A     WOODEN   LEG. 


which  he  bound  on  to  the  stump.  The  chicken  thrived,  and 
seemed  to  take  kindly  to  its  wooden  leg. 

Sometimes  it  forgot,  and  tried  to  scratch  with  it,  but  it  would 
not  work. 

It  had  a  peculiar  walk, —  a  sort  of  a  hop,  from  which  the  chil- 
dren christened  it  "  Hoppy."  At  night  they  put  it  up  in  a  box 
made  on  purpose  for  it,  fastened  up  inside  of  the  hen-house. 
Hoppy  lived  to  a  good  old  age,  but  never  did  anything  re* 
markable. 


44 


OLD    SILVER    HEELS. 


This  is  the  true  story  which  Aunt  Lucy  often  tells  the  children, 
as  we  sit  around  the  fire  at  twilight. 

"  When  I  was  a  little  girl  —  seventy  years  ago  —  we  had  to  go 
more  than  a  mile  to  school.  One  of  the  large  boys  would  come  for 
us  at  night,  with  old  Silver  Heels  and  a  sleigh  made  of  a  crockery 
crate  on  runners. 

"We  would  pile  in  until  there  was  not  room  enough  for  another 

Dne,   shouting,   laughing,   and  snow-balling  each  other.     Old  Silver 

Heels  would  go  on  patiently  across  the  bridge,  and  about  half-way 

up  the  long  hill.     Then  he  would  turn  round,  and  take  a  good  look 

at  the  load.     If  there  were  more  than  three  or  four  of  us  he  would 

begin  to  back  down  the  hill. 

45 


AN    ACROSTIC. 

"Back  —  back  down  the  hill  to  the  very  botton:.  Then,  with- 
out a  word,  he  would  walk  up  again  to  the  same  place.  If  we 
had  not  lightened  the  load  he  would  look  around  and  go  backing 
down  again.  Sometimes  we  let  him  do  so  five  or  six  times  before 
the  boys  would  get  out;  but  we  never  could  get  home  until  they 
did  so.       7 

"  After  they  were  out,  and  old  Silver  Heels  had  counted  the  load, 
he  would  go  gravely  on  to  a  steep,  '  sidling '  place,  near  the  gate, 
where  he  generally  managed  to  tip  us  all  over.  We  didn't  care  for 
that,  for  it  was  only  fun  to  shake  off:  the  snow  and  run  into  the 
house." 


east"  ym  <§>©  @w@v  ?    w& 


)!   %hi  cms,  ®pol  \hnm  m ,  smote® , 


m<i  X  racjji>ii 


46 


BIRDS   m   FEBRUARY. 

In  spite  of  the  old  saying,  "As  the  days 
begin  to  lengthen,  the  cold  begins  to  strength- 
en," spring  makes  itself  felt  in  February. 
Some  sunshiny  day  you  waken  and  find  the 
willow-trees  are  turning  yellow,  and  you  hear 
a  faint  silvery  note  that  sounds  like  tinkling 
ice;  and  grandpa,  who  knows  a  great  deal 
about  weather,  will  tell  you  it  is  going  to  rain, 
for  "  the  chickadees  are  come."  And  perhaps 
Dennis  or  Patrick,  or  whatever  the  gardener's  name  is,  will  grumble 
that  the  birds  will  spoil  the  fruit  buds.  But  do  not  believe  him. 
Those  tiny  birds  with  dark  wings  and  gray  vests  never  touch  a  bud 
that  hasn't  a  grub  in  it,  and  are  our  busy,  kind  little  friends.  Some- 
times the  chickadee  is  called  the  black-capped  titmouse,  and 
scholars  give  him  a  long  Latin  name,  but  I  like  best  to  call  him 
from  the  song  he  sings,  when  he  is  happy,  in  spite  of  chilly  winds 
and  snow,  " chick-a-dee-dee-dee  j  chick-a-deel" 


4? 


^J      1  \)t  Ch'mtlt.yif\M.\\<>)//,        ^ 


AKIAN  was  a  little  city  girl 
who  went  one  summer  to 
visit  her  grandfather  in  the 
country.  He  lived  in  a  low, 
old  farmhouse  among  the  Berkshire 
hills.  She  was  delighted  with  every- 
thing she  saw,  and  wished  that  she 
could  stay  there  always. 
There  was  an  old  attic  filled  with  curious  things  whose  use  she 
did  not  even  know.  She  liked  to  play  "house"  with  them,  and 
often  pretended  that  she  was  her  own  great-grandmother  as  she 
ranged  them  around  in  circles  and  squares  to  correspond  to  the 
rooms  of  a  house. 

One  day  after  she  had  grown  tired  of  playing  in  the  attic  she 
thought  that  she  would  explore  an  old,  unused  "  ell,"  which  she  had 
once  peeped  into.  It  did  not  prove  very  interesting,  and  she  was 
just  turning  to  go,  when  plump,  something  fell  down  the  great, 
wide-throated  chimney.  Two  chimney  swallows,  with  a  whirr  and 
a  flutter,  followed,  flying  about  the  room  as  if  in  sore  distress. 
They  finally  hovered  over  the  little,  dark  object  which  lay  in  the 
fireplace. 

What  do  you  think  it  was  ?  A  nest,  in  which  were  three  little 
birds  I      It  was  the  swallows'  home,  which,  by  some  means,  had 


48 


THE    CHIMNEY  SWALLOW. 


become    loosed    from    the     chimney    where    it    had    been    fixed. 
Strangely  enough,  not  one  of  the  little  birds  was  injured. 

Marian  placed  the  nest  carefully  on  the  window-sill,  and  then  ran 
out  to  the  kitchen  to  get  some  crumbs  of  bread  to  feed  the  open 
mouths. 

As  the  days  went  on  the  swallow  family  formed  the  little  girl's 
chief  delight  and  care.  She  told  her  grandfather  about  the  nest  and 
begged  him  to  take  out  a  pane  of  glass  from  the  window  so  that  the 
big  birds  might  be  free  to  come  and  go  as  they  pleased. 

"When  they  first  flew  away  she  felt  afraid  that  they  would  not  £nd 

their  way  back.    But  they 

did,   and   flew  happily  in 

and  out  many  times  a  day. 

The  young  birds  grew 

very  tame,  and  would 

eat    from   Marian's 

hand,  coming   to 

her    as    soon    as 

she    entered    the 

heartily  when         "^-^^^^^^^^Ml  k         room*     She  grew 

one   day  they  ^^^^^SS^^  Vi  so  fond  of  thcm 

followed     the  "^SSllli    M  that  she  cried 

father  and  mother 

bird  out  of  the  opening 

and  never  came  back.     Many 

times  during  that  winter,  in 

her  city  home,  the  little  girl 

thought   of  the    bird    family 

which  she  had  so  loved  and  cared 

for  and  wondered  if  she  should  ever 

see  them  again. 

When  summer  came  she  went  back  to 
visit  her  grandfather.      She  felt  too  big  a  girl 
now  to  play  "  house,"  but  read  and  studied  instead. 
One  day  she  thought  that  she  would  take  her  book 
and  read  in  the  "  ell."    As  she  sat  by  the  window 

-  Nature  Storiet  .  -  49 


THE    CHIMNEY  SWALLOW. 

thinking  of  the  happy  hours  she  had  spent  in  the  little  room,  sh6 
happened  to  look  np  and  saw  a  nest  fastened  to  the  side  of  the 
fire-place.  Her  heart  beat  fast.  She  arose  and  tip-toed  over  to  it. 
Could  it  be  that  one  of  her  swallows  had  built  it  ?  The  nest  was 
full  of  little  opening  mouths. 

Just  as  she  was  about  to  run  for  some  crumbs  a  swallow  darted  in 
through  the  window.  It  did  not  seem  at  all  afraid  of  Marian,  so  she 
felt  sure  that  it  was  one  of  the  swallows  which  she  had  helped  rear 
the  summer  before. 

"  O  Grandpa,"  she  said,  running  into  the  sitting-room,  where  the 
old  gentleman  sat,  "  one  of  my  family  is  back— and  he  knows  me — . 
and  I  am  so  happy  1 " 


50 


FELIX,  THE  ALLIGATOR. 


When  I  was  a  little  girl  Cousin  Fred  went  down  South.  He 
said  he  would  bring  me  home  a  pet,  and  so  he  did.  It  was  a  baby 
alligator. 

He  was  sailing  up  the  Mississippi 
River  and  he  saw  an  alligator  and  her 
young  lying  in  the  sun  on  the 
bank.     Cousin  Fred  gave  one  of 
the  boatmen  a  handsome  sum  of 
money   for   going  on   shore  and 
taking   one  of  the   babies   away 
from  its    mother.      Alligators 
sleep   by   day   and   play  by 
night,     so     they    were     all 
asleep  in  ,the  sun  when  the 
man  crept  up  to  them  and 
picked    out    the     nicest 
looking    one     he    could 
find.     If  the  old  mother 
alligator     had     been 
awake      she      would 
very  likely  have  up- 
set their  boat  with 
a    blow   of 
her  tail,  for 
alligators 
have    great 
strength  in 
their    tails, 
canoe.     Brother 
ugly,   but    mine,  he 
long. 

I  named  him  Felix.     Ned  said  he  thought  "Prolix"  would  be 
a  better  name.     But  nursie  told  me  not  to  mind  his  droll  sayings. 

Felix  learned  to  eat  meat  out  of  my  hand,  and  he  would  follow 


and  so  make  nothing  of  capsizing  a 
Ned  always  thought  alligators  were 
said,  was  as  clever  as  the  days  were 


51 


FELIX,    THE  ALLIGATOR. 

me  about  as  well  as  a  dog.  He  used  to  crawl  about  the  veranda, 
hunting  for  insects.  He  liked  any  kind  of  an  insect,  no  matter 
how  small. 

When  the  cold  weather  comes,  alligators  bury  themselves  in  the 
mud.  They  stay  there  until  it  gets  warmer.  But  I  did  not  think 
Felix  would  want  to  do  so,  for  he  was  civilized. 

"It  isn't  so  easy  to  forget  what  is  natural,"  nurse  said.  "Your 
Cousin  Fred  told  me  that  down  South,  where  Felix  came  from, 
alligators  are  almost  lifeless  after  they  go  to  sleep  in  the  mud. 
The  sunshine  brings  them  to."  Nursie  was  particular  to  add, 
"but  whether  or  no  our  Northern  sunshine  will  revive  Felix,  I 
can't  say." 

Mother  fixed  the  nicest  basket  you  ever  saw.  And,  sure  enough) 
it  was  just  as  Cousin  Fred  said;  the  minute  the  cold  weather  began, 
Felix  crawled  into  it,  but  he  never  came  out  alive. 

"  Wool  isn't  mud,"  nursie  told  us.  "  You  can't  make  alligators 
into  children,"  which  is  true.  But  it  makes  us  gentle  and  loving 
to  be  kind  to  dumb  animals  ;  and  of  course  dumb  mothers  are  very 
different  from  our  kind  of  mothers. 

The  alligator  mother  lays  her  eggs  in  the  mud,  and  leaves  them 
to  be  hatched  by  the  sun.  But  she  never  goes  far  away  from  them, 
and  when  the  little  alligators  come  out  of  their  shells,  their  mother 
is  very  fond  of  her  babies. 

The  pretty  pocket  books  andbags  that  you  see  in  store  windows 
are  prepared  from  alligator  skins.     My  Felix  had  just  such  a  skin. 


52 


TED  AND  HIS  CALF. 

OUNG  Ted  was  a  rider  bold, 
Who  never  did  things  by  half, 
And  so  he  hitched  to  his  cart  one 
A  strong  and  frolicsome  calf. 

Away  he  went,  and  on  behind 
Came  a  troop  of  merry  boys, 


**■.* 
&■$* 


63 


TED  AND  HIS  CALF. 

Who  tossed  their  caps,  and  screamed  aloud, 
Till  the  woods  rang  with  the  noise. 

But  the  steed  was  like  his  driver, — 
He  wouldn't  do  things  by  half, — 

And  never  had  Ted  a  drive  like  that 
He  had  with  his  frolicsome  calf. 

Then  Ted  tried  another  game, 
And  mounted  his  sturdy  steed; 

But  the  calf  resolved  he  wouldn't  bear  that, 
So  he  ran  with  all  his  speed. 

Ted  learned  to  his  great  dismay, 

That  it  wouldn't  do  by  half, 
When  he  wanted  fun,  to  tamper  witb 

A  strong  and  frolicsome  calf. 


iThbout  aJj£€lC Humming-bn\< 
(^PtMety-winks- 


He  was  picked  up  in  the  middle  of 
the  road,  a  wee   birdling  which  had 
fluttered   from   its   nest. 

His  plaintive  little  cries  were  heard  by  grandpa  Lord  on  his  way  to 
spend  the  day  with  his  grandchildren. 

After  vainly  trying  to  find  the  tiny  home,  grandpa  concluded  to 
take  the  little  feathered  wanderer  with  him. 

When  grandpa  appeared  with  this  unexpected  visitor  the  question 
was  —  what  could  they  do  with  him,  for  what  could  he  eat  ? 

55 


ALL  ABOUT  A  LITTLE  HUMMING-BIRD. 

Birdie  was  first  placed  in  a  little  basket  lined  with  the  softest 
batting.  Sugar  and  water  were  mixed,  and  with  a  tiny  straw  for  a 
spoon,  birdie  lapped  the  sweet,  and  when  he  had  had  enough  cuddled 
down  in  his  cottony  bed  and  went  to  sleep. 

Carrie  said,  "  I  know  what  we  will  call  him — *  Tiddlety -winks ; ' n 
and  so  he  was  named. 


ALL  ALONE. 

I've  two  little  hands  to  hold  the  rope, 
I've  two  little  feet  to  jump  and  trip, 

And  I  try  very  hard ;  so  soon  I  hope 
To  learn  all  alone  the  way  to  skipl 


56 


TINO. 

The  children  in  the  Warburton  School  have  such  a  queer  pet. 

I  wonder  if  you  can  guess  what  it  is.  No,  not  a  rabbit  or  a  kit- 
ten, nor  even  a  mouse,  but  a  funny  little  chameleon  that  was  sent 
all  the  way  from  Florida  to  Miss  Durand,  the  principal  of  the 
school. 

He  is  a  very  little  creature,  and  only  measures  seven  inches 
from  his  queer  little  nose  to  the  tip  of  his  tiny  tail.  They 
call  him  Tino.  Tino  will  fasten  his  little  hand-like  feet  into  Miss 
Durand's  apron,  and  ride  triumphantly  around  the  schoolroom,  to 


the  great  delight  of  the  children.  The  first  time  he  visited  them 
they  admired  his  beautiful  green  coat,  but  very  much  to  their  aston- 
ishment the  next  time  he  came  his  color  had  changed  to  brown. 
They  soon  discovered  that  he  had  a  variety  of  coats ;  indeed,  he 
seems  to  have  rare  taste  in  dress,  and  is  always  able  to  make  him- 
self harmonize  with  his  surroundings. 

Tino's  principal  diet  is  live  flies.  The  boys  bring  him  a  supply 
of  these  every  morning,  and  never  tire  of  watching  him  dart  out  his 
long,  forked  tongue  and  catch  his  victims.  His  favorite  resting- 
place  is  a  large  plant  that  stands  near  the  door  of  the  dressing-room. 

57 


BIRDS   OF  PARADISE. 

The  beautiful  birds  seen  in 
this  picture  are  all  Birds  of 
Paradise,  although  they  dif- 
fer in  many  ways. 

But  besides  these  varieties 
.'•  there  are  hundreds  and  hund- 
reds of  others 

Birds  of  Paradise  are  found 
chiefly  in  New  Guinea  and  the 
islands  near  that  country. 
They  are  wonderfully  beautiful 
in  plumage,  and  yet  what  bird 
do  you  suppose  they  greatly 
resemble  ?    The  common  black 


58 


BIRDS  OF  PARADISE. 

crow.  We  should  not  see  this  resemblance  unless  we  studied  birds  and 
compared  one  kind  with  another.  The  Bird  of  Paradise  is  like  the  crow 
in  the  shape  of  its  body,  its  bill  and  feet.  Then  its  habits,  and  strange 
to  say  its  cries  are  like  those  of  the  crow. 

The  skins  of  the  Birds  of  Paradise  used  sometimes  to  be  worn  by 
eastern  soldiers  when  they  went  into  battle.  The  soldiers  thought  the 
«kins  served  as  a  charm  to  protect  the  wearer  from  harm. 

When  the  skins  of  these  birds  with  the  feathers  on  were  sent  to  foreign 
countries  all  signs  of  legs  or  feet  were  removed.  From  this  fact  the 
idea  arose  that  the  creatures  had  no  feet.  It  was  thought  they  floated 
in  the  air  always,  or  hung  from  the  trees  by  the  long  fine  feathers  of 
their  tails.  This  foolish  idea  was  believed  for  many,  many  years  by 
intelligent  people. 

In  its  natural  home  the  Bird  of  Paradise  is  very  active  and  lively  in 
its  habits.     If  caught  and  kept  in  a  cage  it  is  pert  and  bold. 

In  different  languages  different  names  are  given  these  gorgeous, 
beautiful  creatures.  In  one  language  they  are  called  Birds  of  Paradise, 
in  another  Birds  of  the  Air,  in  a  third  Birds  of  the  Sun,  and  most 
beautiful  of  all —  God's  Birds. 


69 


MUD-TURTLE. 


Mud-turtle  looked  from  out  his  shell ;- 
The  jewel-weeds  beside  the  brook 
Their  gold   and  rubies  o'er  him  shook; 
The  mint  gave  out  its  cool,  fresh    smell ; 
The  swimming  minnows  glistened  bright, 
Where,  in  the  water,  shone  the  light; 
And,  on  the  green  moss  by  the  brink, 
A  little  bird  came  down  to  drink; 
The  frogs  among  the  rushes  leapt; 
A  moth  beneath  a  dock-leaf  slept. 
60 


MUD    TURTLE. 

The  frogs  among  the  rushes  leapt; 
A  moth  beneath  a  dock-leaf  slept. 

With  greedy  eyes  and  waiting  jaw 
Mud-Turtle  stretched  his  neck  far  out; 
He  snapped  at  everything  he  saw: 
The  frogs  in  terror  sprang  about; 
The  minnows  knew  not  what  to  do; 
Away  the  bird,  loud  twittering,  flew; 
The  sleeping  moth  awoke  too  late, 
To  find  that  he  had  met  his  fate! 
Mud-Turtle  drew  within  his  shell. 
"This  world  is  very  wrong,"  said  he; 
"The  reason  why  I  cannot  tell, 
That  no  one  seems  more  fond  of  mel" 


Old  mother  Fox  one  evening  looked 

From  out  her  den  of  rocks; 
"Come  here,  my  pretty  Bushy  Tail," 

She  called  her  little  Fox. 
"You're  getting  larger  every  day, 

You're  growing  strong ;  I  feel 
Tis  time  that  you  should  leave  your  play, 

62 


A    BAD    BEGINNING-. 

And  should  begin  to  steal. 
The  farmer's  eye  is  quick  and  keen, 

The  Chicken-roosts  are  high ; 
The  Kabbit,  he  is  fleet  of  foot; 

The  Partridge,  she  is  sly. 
If  you  would  live  upon  your  wits, 

You  must  be  very  sly; 
You'll  have  to  watch  before  you  pounce ; 

You  must  be  very  sly." 


"  Yes,  mother,"  said  young  Bushy  Tail, 

"I  know  just  how  you  feel, 
But  I've  begun  to  prowl  about ; 

I've  really  learned  to  steal. 
The  Rabbit  runs,  the  Partridge  flies, 

The  Chicken-roosts  are  high, 
But  I  shall  wait  a  chance  to  pounce  \ 

I  shall  be  very  sly. 
I  mean  to  live  upon  my  wits; 

I  shall  be  very  sly." 


So  off  they  both  together  went, 
And  left  their  den  of  rocks ; 

And  which  one  of  the  two  was  worse, 
The  big  or  little  Fox? 

63 


THE   HOOPOE. 

Itf  all  your  travels  I  dare  say  you  never  saw  this  singular-looking 
bird,  the  hoopoe,  and  you  will  be  obliged  to  go  a  long  distance  to 
find  one,  as  far  as  Africa  or  the  Indian  archipelago.  If  you  find 
these  names  on  your  map,  you  will  not  forget  the  home  of  the 
hoopoe. 

What  makes  this  bird  so  different  from  all  others  is  his  beautiful 
crest  of  tall  feathers.  These  feathers  stand  out  on  top  of  his  head 
like  an  open  fan,  and  he  carries  his  crest  in  a  very  stately  way,  so  he 
must  feel  quite  proud  of  it.  !N"ow  you  have  often  heard  that  fine 
feathers  make  fine  birds,  and  this  is  the  case  with  this  bird.  He  is 
handsome  because  his  feathers,  and  especially  the  feathers  on  his 
head,  are  so  fine,  although  his  bill  and  his  legs  are  of  a  bright  coral- 
red  color.  Tou  see,  he  can  be  proud  of  his  feet,  as  well  as  his  head. 
His  bill  is  quite  long,  and  he  can  dig  in  the  ground  for  worms  as 
well  as  you  could  dig  with  a  spade,  and  perhaps  a  great  deal  better. 
He  has  a  way  of  puffing  his  neck  until  it  becomes  quite  large,  and 
then  he  utters  a  sound — hoo — hoo — hoo— very  rapidly.  The  only 
change  he  ever  makes  in  his  note  is  hoh — hoh — hoh  and  this  he 
says  when  he  is  angry  or  disturbed.  But  when  he  is  in  a  good 
humor  he  will  say  his  hoo — hoo— hoo  very  softly  and  smoothly. 

"When  you  visit  a  place  where  there  is  a  large  collection  of  birds, 
ask  to  see  the  hoopoe. 


64 


SPECKLE'S  NEST. 


what    do    you    think    old 
Speckle  one  day 
Found  in  her  cosy  ne&t? 
A     sharp-eyed,     furry,      long- 
tailed  thing, 
A  most  unwelcome  guest — 
A    frisky,    squeaking,    impudent 
mouse, 
Who  quite  disdained  to  beg, 
Yet  slipped  in  her  nest  when  she  was  away 
And  broke  her  new-laid  egg* 


"What  are  you  about,  you  wicked  mouse?" 

Old  Speckle  cried  with  scorn. 
"I'll  teach  you  not  to  come  in  my  house, 
As  sure  as  you  are  born!" 
With  that  she  gave  him  such  a  peck, 

And  held  him  down  so  tight, 
The  poor  little  mousie  shrieked  with  pain, 
And  nearly  died  of  fright." 


S—  Mother  Nature  Stories 


THE  PITCHER  PLANT. 


Among  all  the  curious  leaves  that  grow,  the  Chinese  "pitcher 
plant  "  is  the  most  singular.  It  is  just  in  the  shape  of  a  pitcher,  and 
has  a  little  lid  to  it,  too.  This  is  usually  closed  tight,  so  that,  of 
course,  the  rain  can  never  get  in,  and  yet  it  is  always  filled  with 
water.  If  you  were  to  measure  it  you  would  find  about  a  tumbler- 
ful in  it. 

How  do  you  think  the  water  gets  there  ?  "Well,  it  is  a  part  of  the 
sap,  of  which  we  have  talked  before,  that  comes  to  the  leaf  through 
the  thousands  and  thousands  of  little  mouths  on  the  inside  of  the 
pitcher,  and  so  it  is  kept  filled.  If  the  leaf  was  spread  out  all  this 
moisture  would  go  off  into  the  air.  God  knew  that,  where  it  was  to 
grow,  men  often  had  a  hard  time  to  get  water  to  drink,  and  so  he 
provided  these  little  cupfuls  of  it  by  the  wayside,  to  quench  their 
thirst. 

In  the  island  of  Ceylon  it  is  called  the  "monkey  cup,"  because  these 
mischievous  creatures  know  just  how  to  open  the  lid,  and  drink  the 
water. 


60 


MARY  AND  THE  DUCKS 


!$T?ARY  went  one  winter's  day 


\i\v     Down  beside  the  pond  to  play, 
~~     Where  the  ducks  were  paddling  round 
On  the  cold  and  snowy  ground. 
"Quack,"  they  cried,  and  meant  to  say  : 
"Mary  dear,  good  day,  good  day  I" 


One  began  to  flap  its  wings ; 
(They  were  hungry,  poor  wee  things  !) 
Mary  ran  to  brother  Jim, 
Cuddling  up  in  fear  to  him  ; 
But  the  duck  had  only  said : 
"  Mary  dear,  I  want  some  bread  I" 

Jim  and  Mary,  kind  and  good, 
Ran  and  fetched  the  ducks  some  food  ; 
And,  when  they  had  fed  them  all, 
"Quack,"  the  birds  did  loudly  call ; 
"Thanks  so  much  1"  they  meant  to  cry, 
"Mary  dear,  good-bye,  good-bye  I" 


67 


THE    WALKING    LEAVES    OF    AUSTRALIA. 


There  are  some  funny 

leaves  in  Australia,  which 

the  people  there  used  to  think 

could  walk  alone ! 

^^  Whenever  there  came  a  gust  of 

wind  these  queer  leaves  blew  off  in 
a  perfect  shower.  As  leaves  gen- 
erally do,  they  turned  over  and 
over,  and  rested  upon  the  ground. 
Then  they  would  seem  to  crawl 
towards  the  trunk  of  the  tree  from 
which  they  fell. 

Since  that  time  it  has  been  found 

that    these    leaves,    as    they   were 

thought    to   be,  were   real   insects, 

and   lived    upon    these   very   trees. 

Their  bodies  are  thin  and  flat,  and 

their  wings  veined  just  like  a  leaf. 

If  they   are    disturbed,    their   legs, 

which  are  folded  away  under 

their   bodies,  leave 

.^aZillC^afc—  their    whole 

.. .  <<?      shape    exactly 

like   the  leaf   of 

a  tree,  with  stem  and  all. 

Bright  green  in  the  summer,  these  singular   little  insects  slowly 

change  their  color  to  a  dingy  brown,  just   like  a   frost-bitten  leaf. 

Strange,  that  with  wings  they  do  not  fly,  but  rather  walk  or  crawl 

along  the  ground !  68  . 


m> 

mm-''-  iiil 


THE    PELICANS. 

The  pelican  family  have  very  long  bills  for  their  upper  jaw,  and 
a  soft  bag  or  pouch  for  the  lower.  In  this  they  gather  a  whole  dinner 
of  fish  for  their  children. 

These  birds  always  dress  in  half-mourning.  The  father  and 
mother  are  in  white  with  black  trimmings,  while  the  children  wear 
Quaker  gray. 

The  pelicans  choose  their  nests  among  the  rocks,  in  some  dry 
place,  and  nestle  down  in  them  very  comfortably.  They  are  so 
lazy  that  they  will  go  to  sleep  anywhere  on  the  ground,  with  their 
feet  curled  under  them.  Nothing  but  an  earthquake  would  wake 
them  up. 

This  is  why  they  like  desert  places  to  live  in.  There  they  can  eat 
and  sleep,  and  no  one  will  trouble  them.  It  is  really  all  they  do. 
You  know  the  Bible  tells  us  of  "  the  lonely  pelican  of  the  wilder- 
ness," and  David  said  he  was  like  one. 


18 


HOW  MASON"  WASPS  WORK. 


Mrs.  Woods  sat  at  the  window  in  one  of  the  rooms  of  her  country 
house  busily  sewing.     Several  spools  lay  on  the  sill. 

"  Oh,"  said  Marjorie,  who  stood  by  her  side,  and  took  off  a  needle- 
ful now  and  then  for  her  mother,  "  here's  a  horrid,  green  caterpillar 
inside  the  spool  1 "  and  sure  enough  there  was. 

Taking  the  spool  out  of  her  hand  her  mother  shook  the  caterpillar 
out  and  went  on  with  her  work.     Again  she  needed  some  cotton,  and 

70 


HOW   MASON    WASPS     WORK. 


again  Marjorie  broke  the  thread.     Another  caterpillar  was  again  in 
the  same  place.     What  did  it  mean  ? 

Again  Mrs.  Woods  shook  the  spool  out  of  the  window,  and  this 


time  examined  it  more  closely,  when  to  her  surprise  she  found  two 

more  exactly  like  the  others  in  size. 

Just  then  came  a  mason  wasp  bringing  in  his  jaws  a  fine,  green 
caterpillar,  which  he  left  where  the  others  had  been  placed.  Now  it 
was  explained  how  they  came  to  be  there ;  but  the  wasp  must  have 
had  some  reason  for  doing  it,  and  so  it  had,  as  you  will  see. 

Very  roon  his  partner  followed,  and  laid  a  tiny  egg  on  each  of  t^e 
caterpillars  and  went  her  way ;  she  brought  in  mud  many  times,  until 
eggs  and  caterpillars  were  quite  sealed  up. 


There  are  some   flowers  that 

love  the  sunlight  as  much  as  you 

do.      See  the  sunflower,  with  its 

great,  honest  face,  always  looking 

towards    the    west   until    it    has 

gone    out    of    sight       The    next 

morning  you  will  find  that  same 

flower  gazing  towards  the  east,  all  ready  and  waiting 

for  it  to  rise.     This  is  why  this  flower  has  often  been  called  the 

"Sun  Worshipper." 

The  little  white  daisy  is  a  great  lover  of  the  open  light  of  day. 
This  is  why  it  used  to  be  called  "  day's  eye."  And  the  marigold 
mourns  its  going  so  much  that  it  solemnly  closes  just  at  night- 
fall. 

So  does  the  oxalis,  and  you  will  not  only  find  its  flowers  closed, 
but  the  leaves,  too,  folded  all  up  into  three  pretty  divisions,  like  a 
heart.  And  our  sweet  pond-lily  always  hides  away  under  the  water 
when  the  sun  is  gone,  only  to  appear  when  it  comes  up  in  the 
morning. 

7 Z 


j^f  ::■■ 

"^'Usisigk 

WSS~ 

S^-T-'aj 

5/ 

mm 

1  ^jr-B' 

YENUS'S  FLY-TRAP. 


OOK  at  this  harmless  looking  flower  with  its  cluster 
of  white  blossoms.  Would  you  think  for  one 
moment  that  it  was  a  robber  and  murderer,  and  that 
it  actually  makes  war  upon  the  poor  little  insects 
that  happen  to  fly  too  near  to  the  dangerous  plant  ? 
Yet  it  does  have  this  very  bad  reputation,  and  the 
worst  thing  is  that  what  is  said  about  it  is  all  true. 

It  is  a  very  curious  plant,  indeed,  one  of  the  most  wonderful  in 
the  whole  world.  It  grows  wild  in  the  wet,  sandy  bogs  and  marshes 
of  North  Carolina  and  South  Carolina,  and  very  many  persons  cul- 
tivate it  in  green-houses  and  bestow  much  care  upon  it  in  order  to 
learn  all  its  ways  and  tricks.  Botanists,  who  have  made  a  study  of 
this  wonderful  plant,  have  discovered  facts  which  will  astonish  a  lit- 
tle boy  and  girl  quite  as  much  as  they  astonish  grown  people.  Look 
at  the  leaves  around  its  stem.  Each  one  of  these  leaves  has  sharp 
teeth  like  a  saw,  and  they  can  spring  very  much  like  a  steel-trap. 


73 


A  CROCUS  STORY. 


<*? 


RB  you  awake?"  whispered  a 
little  blue  crocus  to  a  white 
one,  who  had  been  sleeping  by 
•  her  side  under  the  earth  for 
months. 

"Yes,  wide  awake,  and  warm 
all  through.  I  am  sure  it 
must  be  Spring,"  the  little 
white  one  answered. 

"Oh,  yes,  this  is  Spring," 
whispered  blue.  "Our  shoots 
have  been  out  a  week,  and  all  that  time  the  sun  has  felt  warm. 
Suppose  we  bloom ;  the  earth  will  be  so  glad  to  see  a  flower  again." 
"I'm  willing,"  responded  little  white  crocus.  "I  want  nothing 
so  much  as  to  help  make  the  world  beautiful  and  tell  people  the 
Spring  has  come,  so  let  us  send  round  a  crocus  murmur  to  all  the 
flower-beds,  parks  and  gardens  in  the  big  city;  then  they  will  know 
it  is  time  to  wake  up  and  bloom." 

"Don't  venture  out  yet,"  a  tulip  bulb  grumbled  from  her  earth- 
bed  a  few  inches  below  the  little  crocus.  "March  is  only  half  gone, 
and  you  know  old  Winter  will  never  let  him  alone.  There  will  be 
awful  cold  winds  before  April  comes.  You  had  better  stay  where 
you  are  and  keep  warm." 


74 


A  CROCUS  STORY. 

"Dear  I  oh,  dear ! "  sighed  blue  and  white,  "we  dread  the  freezing 
winds.  "Perhaps,  Miss  Tulip,  you  are  wrong.  I  am  sure  we 
ought  to  be  out." 

"Let  us  venture,"  urged  a  tiny  pink  crocus  near  by.  "We  can 
at  least  show  Mr.  Winter  that  Spring  has  come,  and  that  he  must 
go  away.  Come,  let  us  do  our  best  and  not  be  afraid  of  a  little 
cold." 

So  a  crocus  murmur  went  round  to  all  the  flower-beds,  parks  and 
gardens  in  the  big  city,  telling  the  little  crocus  flowers  to  wake  up 
and  bloom.  The  next  morning  everything  was  beautified  by  thou- 
sands of  spring  messengers  holding  up  their  tiny  bell-cups  to  the 


sun — some  white,  some  yellow,  some  blue,  and  a  few  pink.  The 
earth  was  glad  to  hold  on  her  breast  again  such  beauty.  Even  the 
people  passing  stopped,  smiled  and  said  with  confidence,  "Now, 
spring  has  really  come." 

Alas!  there  was  one  who  gave  the  flowers  no  welcome.  It  was 
Mr.  Winter.  "I  feel  indignant,"  he  complained  to  March,  "that 
such  tiny  little  flowers  dare  come  up  and  make  me  feel  uncomfort- 
able and  out  of  place.  Now,  I  suppose  I  must  take  my  departure, 
but  before  I  leave,  dear  March,  you  must  let  me  give  them  a  fright 
and  a  chill." 

"Oh,  Mr.  Winter!"  begged  March,  shivering  and  bewildered, 
"please  leave  me  and  go  away.     I  can't  control  my  winds  when  you 

75 


A  CROCUS  STORY. 


keep  interfering,  you  mix  me  all  up.  Here  you  come  with  snow 
and  cold  trying  to  kill  the  pretty  green  things  that  I  have  had 
such  trouble  to  wake  out  of  the  frozen  ground." 

Then  Mr.  Winter  sent  a  gray  snow-cloud  to  cover  the  sun,  and 
breathed  an  icy  air  into  the  March  wind.  He  laughed  when  a  few 
feathery  flakes  settled  on  his  nose.  "Only  a  day  more;  give  me 
just  one  day  more,  friend  March,"  he  begged.  "I  will  then  go  and 
shut  myself  up  in  my  big  cave  for  a  long  snooze." 

March  nodded  his  consent,  and  together  they  started  like  a  wild 
express  train.  The  whole  thing  was  a  frolic,  after  all.  As  the 
snow  covered  the  flowers  it  whispered,  "Do  not  fear,  I  will  keep  you 
folded  warm  until  this  cold  wind  blows  Mr.  Winter  away." 

The  wind  was  not  only  merry  but  busy  also.  It  blew  light  green 
into  all  the  willows,  red  into  the  maples,  a  faint  white  into  the 
plum  and  apple  buds ;  it  tore  the  dead  leaves  away  from  the  sweet 
arbutus,  it  played  a  regular  game  with  ladies7  skirts  and  veils,  it 
took  off  men's  hats,  and  the  noses  and  cheeks  that  came  in  its  way 
were  painted  a  deep  red.  By  night  all  was  over  and  Mr.  Winter 
had  departed.  A  soft  breath  of  April  filled  the  air.  As  it  swept 
gently  over  the  snow  it  said,  "Melt  at  once;  you  are  sadly  out  of 
place  covering  spring  flowers." 

With  the  morning  came  a  perfect  flood  of  sunshine  and  warmth, 
so  the  birds  began  to  sing. 

"Oh,  how  glad  I  am,"  laughed  the  little  blue  crocus,  "that  we 
came  out  just  when  we  did." 

"I'm  glad."  "And  so  am  I  glad."  "And  so  are  we  glad."  All 
the  others  answered. 


76 


THE  BLACK  SHFRP 

AA,  Baa,  Black  Sheep,  are  your  bags  full  ?" 
"Yes,  little  Master,  of  the  finest  wool ; 


Black  soft  fleeces  to  spin  you  garments  warm 

That  the  wind  may  not  hurt  you  though  it  rage  into  a  storm 

Fine  soft  fleeces  to  stuff  a  baby's  bed 

And  as  black  as  the  beaver  upon  your  curly  head." 

Lisped  Dolly  Dimples,  "  Do  your  bags  hold  enough 
To  make  me  a  tippet,  and  to  line  my  doll  a  muff?" 


77 


DO  YOU  REALLY? 


JiigjSjjO  you  think  a  crab  could  climb  a  tree  ; 
jl^jg  Do  you  really  ? 

Do  you  think  a  mouse  could  catch  a  flea ; 
Do  you  really  ? 
Do  you  think  that  apple-trees  can  speak ; 
Or  that  Sunday  comes  three  times  a  week ; 
Do  you  think  a  donkey  has  a  beak ; 
Do  you  really  ? 


Do  you  think  that  guinea-pigs  have  tails 

Do  you  really  ? 
Or  that  rabbits  live  on  tenpenny  nails ; 

Do  you  really? 
Do  you  think  a  cat  nine  lives  has  got ; 
That  a  strawberry  ice  is  nicest  hot  ; 
Do  you  think  a  lobster  loves  the  pot  • 
Do  you  really  ? 


78 


"Oh,  come  with  me,"  said  the  big  doggie,  i 
As  he  winked  with  his  eye  that  was  dotted  j 

He  had,  they  say,  a  fascinating  way 

Of  seeming  to  be  kind  when  he  plotted. 

The  little  dog  good  said   he  wished  he  could, 
But  mamma  "  No,  no  "  had  told  him. 

He  was  very  much    afraid,  if  away  he  strayed, 
That  mamma  would   surely  scold  him. 


THE    TALE    OF   THE   MORAL   LITTLE   DOGGY. 


"If  only  you  yield  and  come  out  in  the  field/ 
Said  the  big  dog,  whispering  low, 

"There's  a  wee  little  mouse  for  you  to  touse, 
And  a  bird  to  chase,  I'll  show." 

With  a  yearning  sigh,  and  a  soft  "  Oh,  my !  ** 
The  little  dog  pricked  up  his  ears. 

There  was  fun   alive,  could  he  contrive 
To  elude  his  mother's  fears. 


The  tempter  wily  his  chops  licked  slyly, 

And  added,  in  accents  thick : 
"Down  by  the  stone  there's  a  great,  big  bone 

For  you  and  me  to  pick." 


80 


THE    TALE    GF    THE    MORAL    LITTLE   DOGGY. 

Then  the  little  dog  moral  he  scented  a  quarrel; 

"  Oh,  no  ;  my  ma,"  said  he,  / 
"Told  me  I  ought  to  'void  him  who  sought 

To  pick  a  bone  with  me." 

So  the  wise  dog  stayed  and  his  ma  obeyed, 

For  he  truly  had  found  the  reason 
Of  the  big  dog's  bribe,  who  was   one  of  that  tribe 

That  delights  in  fights  and  treason. 

And  the  little  dog  sage  lived  a  good  old  age, 

While  he  fed  on  pie  and  liver ; 
But  the  big  dog  squabbled  on  a  bridge  that  wabbled, 

And  was  drowned  in  the  roaring  river. 


6-*Wte   Walvre  Sio-<ei 


81 


They  first  peep  from  the  bluebells 
To  see  that  no  one's  there — 

At  us  they  might  be  frightened ; 
They  don't  mind  Mr.  Hare  1 


They  tell  him  elfin  stories 

Of  wonder  and  delight, 
And  creep,  when  morning  wakens, 

Back  in  the  bluebells  bright 

82 


THE    POLAR    BEAR 

The   polar  bear,   when   he's   at  home, 
Lives   among   ice   and   snow ; 

You'll   often    find   him,  so   I'm   told, 
A-sitting   on    a   floe. 

I   don't   know   what    a   floe   may   be, 
It   must   be    something   queer ; 

They   haven't   got   them   at   the   shops 
Or   anywhere   round   here. 

And   so   the   polar   bear   is   sad, 
At   least,   he   seems   to   be, 

Because  he   hasn't   any   floes 
Where   he   can   sit,  you   see. 

He's   very   fond   of  fish;    I   think 

He   thinks    it's   very   nice, 
But   always,  I    suppose,  he'd   like 

To   finish   with   an   ice. 


83 


THE  LANTERN-FLY. 

Every  little  boy  or  girl  who  reads  this  has,  no  doubt,  seen  a 
fire-fly.  How  beautiful  they  are  as  they  fly  about  among  the  trees 
and  the  flowers  on  a  warm  summer  evening.  But  I  wonder  if  any 
of  you  have  ever  seen  a  lantern-fly  like  this  huge  fellow  who  has 
had  his  picture  taken  for  you.  I  hardly  think  you  have  ever  seen 
him,  because  you  would  be  obliged  to  go  to  China,  or  Guiana,  or 
Brazil,  or  the  West  Indies,  to  get  a  sight  of  such  a  large  fire-fly. 
Look  on  your  map  and  see  where  these  pretty  creatures  live,  and  fly 


fee        Ik 


ill 

"  'JSt 


about  the  forests  and  the  gardens,  shining  like  torches.  You  nave 
often  seen  Chinese  lanterns,  have  you  not  ?  "Very  pretty  they  are 
too.  You  have  seen  them  in  parades  and  processions  and  some- 
times on  grounds  where  garden  parties  were  playing  games.  Per- 
haps the  Chinese,  who  are  so  accustomed  to  see  these  wonderful 
lantern- flies  in  their  own  forests  and  gardens,  have  learned  to  be 
very  fond  of  such  brilliant  things,  and  that  is  the  reason  they  invent 


84 


THE   LANTERN-FLY. 

such  gay  lanterns  in  painted  paper.  They  could  not  send  their  lai* 
tern-flies  to  you  very  easily,  so  they  give  you  as  good  an  imitation 
as  they  can  make.  Have  you  never  seen  the  wonderful  Chinese 
Janterns  in  the  shape  of  flies  and  bugs  ? 

But  would  you  not  like  to  know  where  the  wonderful  fire-fly 
keeps  his  light  ?  It  has  rows  of  light  on  each  side  of  its  body,  and 
sometimes  it  leaves  a  line  of  light  behind  it,  but  that  is  not  very 
often  the  case.  It  is  only  in  very  warm  countries  that  you  can  see 
the  fire-fly  in  its  greatest  brilliancy.  When  the  insect  is  flying,  of 
course  his  wings  do  not  cover  *his  body,  and  in  this  way,  his  light 
can  be  seen,  but  when  he  folds  his  wings  over  his  body,  he  hides  his 
light.  Travelers  tell  a  great  many  wonderful  things,  and  sometimes 
they  tell  what  is  not  strictly  true.  A  traveler  who  went  to  the  West 
Indies  before  the  natives  had  been  driven  out  by  the  white  settlers, 
says  that  when  these  natives  went  hunting  or  walking  in  the  night, 
they  would  tie  these  immense  lantern-flies  to  each  great  toe,  so  as  to 
have  light  on  their  path,  and  when  they  went  fishing,  they  would  tie 
a  great  many  together  on  the  end  of  a  pole,  and  in  this  way  make 
torches  which  gave  them  plenty  of  light.  The  large  lantern-flies 
will  devour  mosquitoes  greedily,  so  you  see  he  can  be  useful  as  well 
as  ornamental.  Do  you  not  think  it  is  a  fine  thing  to  be  handsome 
and  useful  too  ?     Try  it,  my  little  friend,  and  see.  t 

Travelers  often  tell  the  story,  and  it  is  a  very  true  story  too,  that 
the  ladies  of  Brazil  are  in  the  habit  of  putting  fire-flies  in  little  bags 
of  lace  or  gauze  so  that  they  cannot  escape,  and  wearing  them  in 
their  hair  or  in  the  folds  and  flounces  of  their  evening  dresses. 
These  little  creatures  and  the  larger  ones  too,  make  a  beautiful 
decoration  for  the  ladies'  dresses.  Sometimes  in  the  summer 
months,  when  the  young  people  in  Brazil  have  their  festivities, 
persons  galloping  through  the  streets  on  horseback  will  have 
their  own  clothes  and  the  horses,  too,  covered  with  these  bags 
of  fire-flies,  so  that  as  they  dash  through  the  town,  they  look  like 
moving  bodies  of  light.  When  you  visit  China  and  Brazil,  or  the 
West  Indies,  you  see  the  largest  and  finest  fire-flies  and  lantern-flies 
in  the  world. 

86 


7?*^ 


NIGHT   FLOWEKS. 


Theee  are  some  flowers  that  never  see  the 
sun.  One  of  the  most  curious  is  the  "even- 
ing primrose."  About  six  o'clock  it  suddenly 
bursts  open,  with  a  popping  sound,  and  at  six 
next  morning  closes. 

If  you  watch  that  pretty  flower,  and  listen, 

you  can  hear  this  strange  performance. 

This  is  why  it  does  so.     The  little  calyx  holds  the  petals  in  such 

a  way  that    the    moment   it    turns    back   they  are   let   loose.      At 

once  it  bursts  out  into  full  flower,  with    this    ftmny  noise,  like  a 

pop-gun. 

So  the  "night-blooming  cereus"  blossoms  in  the  night,  only 
for  an  hour,  giving  out  its  sweet  fragrance,  and  then  dies.  Just 
think  of  never  seeing  the  sun  at  all ! 

In  a  far  Eastern  country  there  is  a  kind  of  jasmine  called  the 
"sorrowful  tree."  It  droops  as  if  sick  in  the  daytime,  and  at 
night  grows  fresh  and  bright.  It  opens  its  lovely  flowers  with  a 
very  pleasant  odor  till  morning,  and  then  wilts  and  looks  wretched 
again. 


86 


THE    WORKING  TOOLS   OF  INSECTS. 


I  wonder  if  you  know  that  the  smallest  insects  you  see  about  you 
have  tools  given  them  to  do  their  work  with.  There  is  a  little  fly 
called  a  saw-fly,  because  it  has  a  saw  to  work  with.  It  is  really 
a  very  much  nicer 
saw  than  you  could 
make,  if  you  were 
ever   so   old. 


The  fly  uses  it 
to  make  places 
where  the  eggs  will 
be  safe.  What  is 
more  strange,  it 
has  a  sort  of  home- 
made glue  which 
fastens  them  where 
they  are  laid. 

Some  insects 
have  cutting  in- 
struments that 
work  just  as  your 
scissors  do.  The 
poppy-bee  is  one  of  them,  whose  work  is  wonderful.  This  bee  has  a 
boring  tool,  too.  Its  nest  is  usually  made  in  old  wood.  This  borer 
cleans  out  the  nest  ready  for  use.  When  all  is  ready  the  insect  cuts 
out  pieces  of  leaves  to  line  the  nest  and  to  make  the  cells.  These 
linings  are  cut  in  the  shape  of  the  cells.  You  would  be  surprised 
to  see  the  care  taken  to  have  every  piece  of  just  the  right  size,  so 
that  it  will  fit.  When  they  are  fitted,  the  pieces  are  nicely  fastened 
together  and  put  into  the  nest. 


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THE  LADY'S  SLIPPER. 


HE  lady's  slipper  is  a  very  beautiful  flower.  It 
belongs  to  the  family  of  orchids,  and  if  you  are  a 
little  boy  or  little  girl  who  has  heard  older  people 
talk  about  the  wonderful  and  beautiful  orchids 
which  you  can  find  in  green-houses,  and  which  flor- 
ists show  sometimes  at  fairs  and  other  public  places, 
you  will  be  able  to  know  something  about  what  the  word  orchid 
means.  They  are  the  most  showy  flowers  that  can  be  found  any- 
where. In  Japan  the  orchids  grow  very  finely.  Some  are  purple, 
some  are  red,  some  are  spotted,  some  are  striped,  some  are  white 
with  purple  stripes,  and  others  are  purple  with  white  stripes,  but 
there  is  not  one  of  these  orchids  which  is  not  a  very  handsome 
flower.  Some  are  spotted  and  tinted  with  yellow,  with  a  deep  crim- 
son and  purple  at  the  edges.  Would  you  not  say  that  was  a  superb 
flower  ? 

In  a  country  named  Sumatra,  the  orchids  grow  in  great  variety 
and  in  great  beauty.  Now,  all  these  beautiful  flowers  are  sisters, 
although  they  are  not  exactly  alike,  just  as  all  roses  are  not  alike 
and  as  you  perhaps  do  not  very  much  like  your  sister  or  brother, 
yet  you  both  belong  to  the  same  family.  The  particular  orchid 
which  is  named  lady's  slipper,  is  a  fine  plant  with  large  downy 
leaves  and  flowers  of  a  beautiful  white  and  rose  color.  It  grows 
from  one  to  two  feet  high,  and  can  be  found  in  its  wild  state  in 
North  America.     It  blooms  generally  in  May  and  June. 

Look  at  the  picture  very  carefully  and  see  how  closely  it  resem- 
bles a  lady's  slipper.     Do  you  not  think  so?     It  looks  very  much 


THE   LADY'S    SLIPPER. 


like  the  shoes  knit  of  zephyr  which  your  mamma  wears  in  her  cham- 
ber, and  perhaps  you  have  a  pair  too.  I  am  sure  you  have  seen 
bed-room  slippers  which  look  very  much  like  this  flower.  The  next 
time  you  visit  a  green-house  be  sure  to  ask  to  see  the  orchids,  and  I 
am  sure  you  will  say  afterwards  that  you  never  knew  of  so  many 
beautiful  shades  of  color.  You  will  find  almost  every  color  under 
the  sun,  in  a  large  collection  of  orchids. 

The  lady's  slipper,  though  not  so  showy  as  some  of  the  orchids,  is 
one  of  the  most  beautiful.  The  pretty  rose  and  white  slippers  hang 
from  the  stem  so  gracefully,  you  almost  feel  tempted  to  put  them  on. 

89 


THE   DRAGON-FLY. 

The  dragon-fly  does  not  carry  a  lantern  or  a  torch  about  with  him 
like  the  fire-fly  and  the  lantern-fly,  but  he  is  a  very  beautiful  crea- 
ture, and  you  will  not  need  to  go  to  tropical  countries,  like  China 
and  India  and  Brazil,  to  see  him.  It  must  be  a  very  fine  thing  to 
have  one  pair  of  wings,  so  as  to  fly  through  the  air,  from  garden  to 
garden  and  from  field  to  field,  and  to  take  very  long  trips  without 
being  obliged  to  go  on  a  train  or  a  boat  or  in  a  carriage.  But  what 
do  you  think  of  two  pairs  of  wings  ?  And  yet  the  graceful  dragon- 
fly has  two  pairs  and  he  uses  both  pairs  at  the  same  time,  just  as 
you  use  your  two  feet.  These  wings,  too,  are  often  painted  in 
colors  of  red  and  black  and  brown  and  yellow,  and  sometimes  a  deli- 
cate, shining  blue,  which  looks  like  the  precious  stone  called 
sapphire.  They  love  the  sun,  and  so  they  come  in  great  numbers  in 
the  summer  season.  Have  you  never  seen  them  flying  around  the 
tall  tiger-lilies  in  the  garden  ?  And  away  they  go  sometimes  into 
the  forests,  and  they  can  be  seen  on  the  hedges  and  very  often  about 
the  fruit  trees  in  the  orchard.  But  to  these  places  they  only  make 
short  visits,  because  they  love  to  live  near  the  water,  skimming  over 
the  lake  and  the  pond  and  the  river.  They  are  lighter  than  feathers, 
and  when  you  are  near  a  pond  in  the  summer,  you  can  find  a  great 
deal  of  pleasure  in  watching  them  as  they  fly  here  and  there  over 
the  water.  Their  beautiful  wings  are  as  thin  as  gauze.  You  can 
easily  see  through  them,  and  when  you  look  at  them  closely,  you 
wonder  how  such  frail,  delicate  wings  can  support  even  as  light  a 

90 


TEE   DRAGON-FLY. 

body  as  the  slender  dragon-fly;  but  these  four  wings  do  a  great  deal 
of  flying.  "Watch  him  on  the  pond,  and  see  how  seldom  he  rests;  he 
loves  to  go  all  the  time. 

The  front  wings  and  the  hind  wings  differ  in  coloring  so  he  is  all 
the  handsomer  for  that.  His  legs  are  black  with  reddish  thighs, 
and  when  he  flies,  the  colors  of  his  four  wings  and  his  legs  and  his 
bright  brown  eyes  shine  in  the  sunlight,  till  you  might  almost  be-, 
lieve  that  a  very  beautiful  piece  of  jewelry  was  flying  about.  But 
although  he  is  a  handsome  fellow,  he  is  a  great  tyrant  on  the  water, 
and  the  poor  little  insects,  like  the  gnats  and  midges,  he  devours 
without  a  grain  of  salt.  Some  of  them  carry  a  sting  too,  and  poor 
animals  dread  them  very  much.  Indead  the  dragon-fly  devours 
smaller  insects  so  greedily  that  he  is  called  dragon  for  that  reason. 
In  olden  times  which  you  will  read  about  when  you  are  older,  there 
were  a  great  many  stories  about  the  terrible  dragons  who  devoured 
people.  These  stories  were  fables  or  untrue  stories,  but  the  dragon- 
fly got  his  name  from  these  cruel  monsters  that  devoured  everything 
that  came  within  their  reach. 


A  FIDDLER. 


THE  SKATERS 


When  Mrs.  Bear  went  out  to  skate, 
Papa's  top-hat  went  skating,  too : 

Bear  Minor  and  his  sister  Kate 

(Who  wore  a  muff  and  muffler  blue) 

Went  far  ahead  across  the  ice, 

And  laughed  and  shouted,  "  This  is  nice !' 


92 


JACK  FROST 

?HE  earth  was 
{jp  dressed  one 

winter's  night 
In  all  its  best 

of  spotless  white ; 
Jack  Frost  it  was  whose  magic  hand 
Had  turned  it  thus  to  Fairyland. 


With  coats  so  warm  and  boots  so  stout 
Next  morn  the  children  started  out, 
Their  rosy  faces  all  aglow, 
To  see  the  sparkling  ice  and  snow. 

They  reached  the  frozen  pond  at  last, 
And  on  it  soon  were  skating  fast ; 
For  all  the  water  there  was  lost 
And  turned  to  ice  by  old  Jack  Frost. 

They  made  the  most  of  ice  and  snow, 
Jack  Frost  so  seldom  comes,  you  know ; 
But  when  he  does,  the  children  say 
They  only  wish  he  had  come  to  stay  I 


93 


TIPSY,   TOPSY,   TEE. 

Half-a-dozen  little  girls 
Playing  a  game,  I  see. 
They  whirl  a  ring;  I  hear  them  sing, 
"  Tipsy,  topsy,  tee  !  " 

Then  —  "  Here's  a  king  arriving ! "  — 
That's  how  it  sounds  to  me, 
Though  there's  no  crown  nor  ermine  gown 
For  tipsy,  topsy,  tee  ! 

All  hands  in  line,  a  pretty  row, 
Then  bow  and  courtesy ! 
One  makes  a  choice,  and  every  voice 
Sings,  "  Tipsy,  topsy,  tee !  " 


More  kings  arrive  —  the  curly  heads- 
I've  counted  two  or  three, 
And  they're  all  so  gay,  I  like  the  play 
Of  tipsy,  topsy,  tee. 

94 


THE  ENGLISH  CUCKOO. 

The  English  cuckoo  "  sings  as  she  flies,"  and  the  English  people 
are  glad  to  hear  its  voice,  "  Cuck-oo !  cuck-oo ! "  because  it  tells  them 
that  the  spring  has  come ;  but  no  good  children  can  like  its  mean, 
ugly  ways. 

The  mother  does  not  build  a  nest  of  her  own,  as  all  respectable 
birds  should  do,  but  lays  her  eggs  in  the  nest  of  some  other  bird 
much  smaller  than  herself. 

When  the  young  cuckoo  is  hatched,  before  it  has  feathers,  or 
even  gets  its  eyes  open,  it  feels  around  to  see  if  there  is  anything 
else  in  the  nest;  if  it  finds  eggs,  it  manages  to  push  them  over  the 
side  of  its  stolen  home.  If  a  young  bird  is  there,  perhaps  its  own 
sister  or  brother,  the  naughty  cuckoo  works  its  body  under  the 
helpless  creature,  and  by  dint  of  backing  and  pushing,  contrives  to 
get  the  poor  thing  out  of  the  nest ;  down  it  goes  on  the  ground  and 
is  killed,  unless  the  nest  is  low;  then  it  becomes  chilled  and  dies. 
Over  and  over  again  the  murderer  slaughters  its  victims  until  it  is 
left  alone  in  the  nest.  "Such  a  mean,  selfish,  disagreeable  bird  I " 
you  say.  I  agree  with  you,  but  there  are  children  who  would  like 
to  keep  everything  for  themselves,  too. 


95 


THE  GARDEN  BIRD. 

In  New  Guinea  there  is  a  bird  which  not  only  builds  a  house 
but  has  a  garden  too.     He  is  known  by  the  name  of  Garden  Bird. 

When  he  is  going  to  build,  the  Garden  Bird  first  looks  for  a  level 
spot  of  ground  which  has  a  shrub  in  the  centre.  Then  he  covers 
the  bottom  of  the  stem  of  this  shrub  with  a  heap  of  moss.  Next 
he  brings  small  green  twigs  from  other  plants ;  these  he  sticks  in 
the  ground  so  that  they  lean  against  his  shrub.  On  one  side  he 
leaves  a  place  open  for  the  door.  The  twigs  keep  on  growing  so 
that  his  little  cavern  is  like  a  bower. 

Last  of  all,  in  front  of  the  door,  the  bird  makes  a  lawn  of  moss. 
Upon  this  lawn  he  scatters  purple  berries  and  pink  flowers,  and 
these  he  always  keeps  fresh. 

He  is  about  as  large  as  a  thrush  or  black  bird.  His  head,  his 
back,  his  wings  and  tail  are  brown,  and  beneath  he  is  greenish-red. 


96 


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